Photography: The Rules of Composition

Composition is the combining of distinct parts or elements to form a whole. In photography that thought is very important in taking good pictures. The following guidelines are just to be thought about though, it is not necessary to try to use them with every picture you take or there wouldn't be any creativity in your work. Once you learn these rules and strategies you will be more prepared to find great picture spots and opportunities.

Before you just step up and take a picture you should consider what you want your viewers to look at and how you should display main points of interest. You should ask yourself, what is the main subject? What angle should the light be hitting in my picture? Is there anything that could accentuate the main subject? Where should the main subject be in the frame? These are all important things you should consider, but that doesn't necessarily mean you need to follow the rules exactly.

The Rule of Thirds has been used for centuries and is probably the most important of all the composition techniques. The Rule of Thirds means that the frame can be divided into three horizontal sections and three vertical sections and therefore, where the horizontal and vertical lines intersect makes an ideal location for the more important parts of your picture. By locating your main subject at one of the four intersections you give the subject more emphasis than if it was right smack in the middle of the picture. This is also a good technique if you have more than one important subject, the intersections can still work even if there's a subject on more than one. The divisions can also be helpful in setting up a picture, they can for example, help you determine how much horizon you want. Most famous photographs or paintings in the world today have the rule of thirds applied to them in some way.

Simplicity is the method of keeping the information in a photograph relatively simple. If your main subject is close, then your background should be very simple to avoid distractions. You should try to keep everything not important much less interesting than what's important in the frame. Especially avoid lines or objects that lead the eye away from the subject.

Framing is the tactic of using natural surroundings to add more meaning to your subject. It could be anything such as bushes, trees, a window, or even a doorway like in the picture at the top of this page. In the process of doing this you need to be careful that you don't only focus on what's framing your subject. Make sure you focus on the main subject, and also it is a good idea to use a narrow aperture (high f/stop) to achieve a high depth-of-field. It also wouldn't hurt if the part of the picture framing the subject was darker so make sure you take your light reading on the main subject.

Texture can add a significant amount of interest in any picture. When people see texture in pictures they start imagining what it feels like to touch what's in the picture. Texture is a good idea when your taking pictures of rocks, walls, surfaces, someone's hands, or leaves. In order to make a picture reveal a texture you must make sure the light is coming almost exactly from the side of the surface so it creates shadows in places key places.

Leading Lines are used to lure the eye deeper into a picture or to an important subject. Straight, curved, parallel, or diagonal lines are all good at promoting interest. Good examples could be roads, rivers, streams, bridges, branches, or fences but there are endless things that could be used.

Colors are what add heart and emotion to your pictures. Certain color configurations can inspire awe and amazement in onlookers. Colors can be used to add all sorts of accents and effects, but you must be careful to not draw attention away from the main subject.

It might not be a bad idea to keep these key terms with you when you practice taking pictures. The best way to learn and improve your composition is just lots of practice and experimenting.

Kodak ZD710 vs Canon S5IS vs Lumix

I got one thing to be asked to you all, this thing really makes me confused..

I wanna buy a new camera, not a DSLR because it's too expensive for me, I'd prefer to buy a prosumer camera like a Kodak EasyShare ZD 710, or a Panasonic Lumix, or a Canon S5IS,,

i wanna know what's the best from three of it, and for users of that cameras, please share your opinion about these.

I really need to be advised, help me to choose one of those. but, i'd prefer a Kodak one, because the price seemed reasonable for me. but one of my friend said that a Kodak not a better one, he preferred a LUmix one because the Lumix use a LEICA lens, and the Kodak use a SCHNEIDER-KREUZNACH lens.. so what's the best from those lenses??

And for Canon S5IS, how about it, is it better than those two? or any suggestions for me?? for other brand maybe?

Davina volume three. (Saychiz Photography)

Title: Sunshine.
Camera Model: NIKON D80
Shutter Speed: 10/4000 second
F Number: F/7.1
Focal Length: 44 mm
ISO Speed: 200




Title: Morning.
Camera Model: NIKON D80
Shutter Speed: 10/8000 second
F Number: F/5.6
Focal Length: 90 mm
ISO Speed: 400




Title: Moment.
Camera Model: NIKON D80
Shutter Speed: 10/600 second
F Number: F/4.5
Focal Length: 18 mm
ISO Speed: 400

Silhouette Photography.

Many of you photographers have probably stared at a silhouette photo and wondered to yourself how exactly they were taken. Silhouettes could contain a couple’s moment on the beach, a person staring out at a landscape, or an amazing cityscape with the sun going down in the background. Silhouette photographers must have great timing and perfect exposure settings.

What is a Silhouette?
In photography, a silhouette is defined as an outline that appears dark against a light background. More specifically, it is where your subject is seen as a black shape without detail against a brighter background. This is an artistic outcome that many photographers like to perfect. This effect can be achieved with any kind of bright light source, but of course the most commonly used is the sun around sunrise or sunset. The backlighting from the sun shadows everything towards you and produces this effect.

Silhouette Techniques
When you are getting ready to take your silhouette pictures, there are a couple things to keep in mind. These tips work for both digital and film photography. Make sure you never point the lens directly at the sun. If there is too much light, the light will fall on your object. If there is not enough light, your background will become gray. The main key to silhouette lighting is having your background lighter than your object, but this can be done in more ways then one. Many photographers focus on a certain time of day, where their subject is, what kind of weather there is, and where the sun positioned in the frame.

My Silhouette Tips and Methods
I choose to take my silhouette photos when the sun is right above the horizon, usually at sunset. I prefer this time because the sun causes the sky to be at it’s brightest for a greater contrast between your object and the sky. Try aiming at your object with the sun directly behind it for a glow around your silhouette. Also, if the sky is too bright and your object is small, it is possible to underexpose your silhouetted image.

I always use a narrow aperture (high f/stop) so the camera captures the whole scene in focus. It is also convenient to use this method so you can use your camera’s automatic exposure settings focused on the lighted background. If you use a point-and-shoot camera focused on the subject meant to be dark, the camera will probably try to compensate for the lack of light on the subject and overexpose the background. So when you have your camera set on automatic exposure, be sure to focus on the light in the background.

Remember that there isn't an exact science to taking a great silhouette. It takes practice, experimentation, and maybe even a little luck to capture a truly spectacular silhouette photo.

Basic Exposure Tricks.

Exposure is the amount of light collected by the sensor in your camera during a single picture. If the shot is exposed too long the photograph will be washed out. If the shot is exposed too short the photograph will appear too dark. Almost all cameras today have light meters which measure the light in the given shot and set an ideal exposure automatically. Most people depend on the light meter which is fine, but if you know how to control your exposures you can get some creative and sometimes better pictures. (The photo on the left is with low shutter speed and narrow aperture (high f/stop).

The two primary controls your camera uses for exposure are shutter speed (the amount of time the sensor is exposed to light) and aperture (the size of the lens opening that lets light into the camera). Shutter speeds are measured in seconds and more commonly fractions of a second. (1/2000 of a second is very fast and 8' seconds is extremely slow). Apertures are measured in something called f/stops (a very wide aperture is f/2.8 and a very small aperture is f/19).

You might wonder why there is not just a constant shutter speed or a constant aperture so that you would only have to worry about one control. The reason is that even though they both control the amount of light getting to the sensor they also control other aspects of the picture. Shutter speed for example can be used to freeze subjects in midair with a fast speed or it can be used to blur water with a slow speed. Aperture controls the depth-of-field which is what is in focus in the picture. Aperture can be used to draw attention to one subject (like the flower on the right) by blurring the background with a wide aperture (low f/stop). Aperture can also be used to focus everything in a picture with a narrow aperture (high f/stop). (The photo on the left is with Wide aperture (low f/stop) and corresponding shutter speed).

On most digital SLR's (Single Lens Reflex) cameras today you can even change the sensitivity of the sensor when collecting light which is called the ISO speed. The common span of ISO speed is 100 to 800. The higher the ISO speed the faster the camera collects light but it also adds more noise to the photograph than the lower speeds. For example if your trying to take pictures in dim light without a tripod you might want to raise the ISO speed in order to get a picture that's not blurry. Most of the time you should keep it at a lower ISO speed if there is enough light, but it makes a big difference when there isn't.

Low shutter speed and slightly narrow aperture (pretty high f/stop)

The best way to learn how to use shutter speed and aperture is to just keep experimenting with them.

Edra Wijaya volume two.

Title: Waiting Someone.
Camera Model: NIKON D40X
Shutter Speed: 10/60 second
F Number: F/5.6
Focal Length: 70 mm
ISO Speed: 200




Title: A Tree That Shines.
Camera Model: NIKON D40X
Shutter Speed: 10/1600 second
F Number: F/9.0
Focal Length: 70 mm
ISO Speed: 400




Title: Dancing Lights.
Camera Model: NIKON D40X
Shutter Speed: 80/10 second
F Number: F/22.0
Focal Length: 20 mm
ISO Speed: 400

Edra Wijaya, once again shows his consistency in photography with these photos. Edra Wijaya said that the best photo only earned by time by time, more professional you are, a nicer photos you got. So keep training all!!

William Tjhia volume three.

Title: Flower Under The Sun.

Camera Model: NIKON D80
Shutter Speed: 10/200 second
F Number: F/22.0
Focal Length: 70 mm
ISO Speed: 320

Title: Psst.. I'm Here.

Camera Model: Canon EOS 40D
Shutter Speed: 1/45 second
F Number: F/3.5
Focal Length: 45 mm
ISO Speed: 1250

Once again, William Tjhia shows his talents in these photograph. The right blend of colour makes a nice photograph, that's showed by him in these photograph. The creativity, passion, and determination also affect his photos. The quotes "Practice Makes Perfect" perfectly fit him.