التكوين .. العناصر الأساسية للصورة .. كتاب التصوير الضوئي

Composition .. The basic elements of the image .. The book of photography

Composition

Composing an image is the collection and juxtaposition of distinct elements to make it a homogeneous group. The elements of the image can be few in number or varied, but as we have seen, these elements are themselves built from shapes, tones, colors, lines, compositions and sizes. To all of this we will add the elements of depth and perspective. These elements can be placed to create balance and harmony or to show a qualitative part of the image. You can create a composition with a simple colored spot on a rectangle of white paper: The place where you decide to place the colored spot according to the borders formed by the sides of the rectangle will result in the most important scene
related to the composition: personal choice.

The composition of the image can be asymmetrical or an unbalanced drawing in which the main subject is located in an unusual place and it can also result from the arrangement of shapes in a rhythm whose mission is to guide the eye during its analysis of the image.

We can only give general instructions here: the image usually contains a subject to which the other elements are related. Thus the main subject is emphasized by secondary complementary subjects. When a picture contains several different subjects of equal importance it tends to become confused and disturbed. A picture may also be composed in which three subjects of equal importance arouse interest with equal merit. In most pictures the main subject must first attract the attention of the observer and if the picture is well composed the eye will be led successively to all points of its surface in search of secondary elements before returning to the main subject. In such a picture there may be a remarkable degree of balance and harmony between the main subject and the secondary elements. The elements of a composition may be arranged and modified by the photographer according to his point of view of the scene and the conditions of lighting.

In the following chapters we will see how these instructions can be applied to our photographs: how to arrange the blocks to balance each other, how to guide the eye when examining the image and finally how to frame the subject. There are several theories about how the eye analyzes the image, although it is clear that it first looks for the main subject. In a landscape, for example, this subject may be a tree, a distant church bell, the shadow of a man or an animal. As for you, the photographer, you must move around and try different points of view, since the position of the main subject in relation to the other elements can strengthen or, on the contrary, harm your composition. A poorly composed image - no matter how useful and important the individual elements are - becomes easily disturbed and cannot attract the viewer's attention.

After you have chosen your main subject, study its balance in relation to the rest of the elements, and what are the correspondences and interactions. Shape your image according to the plane of the foreground, the middle plane and the background plane: one of these areas will help you strengthen your composition.

Framing the subject

This image is divided into two large surfaces: the first, a dark, blurred surface that surrounds the clear figure of the rider and the brighter adjacent areas. The large, upright surface balances the light, detailed surface. The eye is led towards the horse and rider by the clarity of this section of the image and by the distinct vertical and horizontal lines that help to isolate the main subject. The woman in the background, reflecting the first surface, adds additional interest. The image was taken in soft light in a covered arena.

Leicaflex 1/500 sec. 2.8 Recor Ding
1000 AZAR.

Leading the viewer's eye

A composed image should represent a main subject to which the other elements are attached. These secondary elements complete the scene but do not dominate the main subject. The viewer's eye is led towards the children by adopting a low point of view, by the intertwining lines of the wall, and by their position at the top of the ascending path framed by the shapes of the chimney and the dark wall. The silhouette of the two boys stands out in their height contrast with the tall chimney and the wide gray sky.
Rolleiflex 1/125 sec wide angle lens 8 aperture Alford HP3.