This week, we will take a look at what makes a good shot and what makes a bad shot -- we're going to see how the relationships between the foreground and the background, the edges and the focal point affect your composition.
Sometimes, the photo you just took will feel awkward; you may not be quite sure why, but the feeling is there. This negative effect is aptly called negative tension, and it is something you want to avoid at all costs.
Sometimes, the photo you just took will feel awkward; you may not be quite sure why, but the feeling is there. This negative effect is aptly called negative tension, and it is something you want to avoid at all costs.
The shot of the shell, above, has the bottom cut off. This gives the image an awkward feeling; you are left wanting to see the whole shell, or even less of it. This is one of those situations where you want to cut off a lot of the shell and go macro, or none at all.
The shot above has a wonderful background, allowing the kids to really stand out; however, the cut off bottoms of their legs draws the eye with negative tension.
The shot below, with a lamp sprouting from our subject's head, is a good example of why we need to be careful with our backgrounds and placement of figures, as this can take away from our final shot.
The shot below, with a lamp sprouting from our subject's head, is a good example of why we need to be careful with our backgrounds and placement of figures, as this can take away from our final shot.
Both the dog and and horse shots below demonstrate what happens when the foreground interferes with the subject of the shot. Although the horse shot might be considered "artistic" with the focus being on the wildflowers in the foreground rather than the natural focal point of the horse, I find that this "bothers" the eye. My eye wants to land on the horse, which is blurry and has its head invisible behind the flowers.
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Below, you can see what happens when the edges are too close to the subject, creating Negative Tension. The picture with the trees has a striking sky background, which could frame either the leafless tree at the bottom, or the dark branches on top. But, with both present and "touching" each other in the frame, this creates a negative tension which pulls my eye and "bothers" it. Besides, the edges of the tree are also touching the edge of the picture frame.
The image below is beautiful, but the closeness of the shape to the bottom and right edges "bothers" my eye. It feels tight, and my eye would like a bit more space there. The uneven aspect (bottom right heavy) of the composition is a bonus, but not when the sides are almost touching.
Now, go ahead and complete your week 4 assignments!