Composition

What makes a photograph visually compelling? How does one take a photograph with an interesting composition? What is composition? First, we will learn the basic elements of composition in photography, focusing on the rule of thirds and the elements of visual art while focusing on four significant photography examples. By the end of this lesson, you will create four photographs: one portrait (or self-portrait), a landscape photograph, a still life photograph, and one photograph that depicts street photography, often called “candid” photography.

There are many ways to make a photograph interesting. Photographers use various techniques to draw your attention to certain aspects of an image. One of those techniques is called the rule of thirds. The rule of thirds describes a basic compositional structure of a photograph. You can take any image and split it into 9 sections by using 2 vertical and 2 horizontal lines.

The rule of thirds helps you consider the composition of a photograph and is used by photographers at any level to assist in creating an interesting composition for their image.

Using the rule of thirds also helps create a point of interest in your image. This is typically where the two lines intersect (one horizontal and one vertical). The point where the lines intersect is often referred to as the “point of interest.”

Explore Composition: As a large group, review the Unshuttered Composition Reference Sheet. Keep this worksheet handy for the rest of the lesson.

Discuss: What makes a photograph visually interesting?

Examine Artworks: Look at one of the two student photographs shown here. Pause for 30 seconds to simply observe the image. What do you notice about the photograph?

About the Artist: Fabiola Lopez is a Latina photographer born and raised in Los Angeles. Her passion for photography began at a young age and has continued to grow and expand over the years. Lopez enjoys documenting people within her community while creating visual representations of social issues that are significant to society at large. Her work has been recognized with the Las Fotos Project: Editorial Photo Award and Gucci Changemakers Scholarship Award. Lopez plans to continue her career within the fashion photography industry, hoping to bring a fresh perspective through her own voice and by providing platforms for other women of color who hope to work in the same field. Currently, Lopez is working as a freelance photographer and completing her bachelor's degree in Business Management at Azusa Pacific University.

About the Artwork: This photograph is part of a small series that focuses on three different girls who all have very different religious backgrounds. The goal of this photo was to demonstrate unity among these three individuals despite their differences. Lopez attempted to represent this unity “....by tightly framing them in the image, ensuring the composition guided the eyes of the audience to each girl without having to move their eyes sporadically throughout the frame. The audience would find that their eyes travel from the center to the left and the right and back to the center. The position the girls sit in helps add to the composition and storytelling aspect of the image as they sit calmly and closely, expressing a bond among each of them.”

Questions for Discussion:

• What do you notice first about this image?
• What stands out to you the most about the way the artist composed this photograph?
• How is the photo framed?
• What is going on in the foreground and background?
• Describe the visual cohesion in the photograph. What patterns do you notice?

Examine Getty Collection Artwork(s): Look at the Getty collection photograph shown here. Pause for about 30 seconds to simply observe the image. What do you notice about the photograph?

• 30-45 seconds examining the artwork
• 2-4 minutes discussing the artwork
• Read the artist’s description and artwork information

About the Artist: Carrie Mae Weems’s works explore issues of race, class, and gender identity. Weems primarily works in photography and video. Weems’s work specifically looks at history as a way of better understanding our present. Weems once said, “Photography can be used as a powerful weapon toward instituting political and cultural change.”

About the Artwork: This photograph is from a nine-part series titled May Days Long Forgotten mounted in frames made by the artist.

The images in this series feature young Black girls in flowered dresses dancing around a maypole or resting on shady lawns. The aesthetic that Weems uses in this series brings attention to 19th-century photographic portraiture, which often used oval or circular frames. By depicting the girls in this antiquated format, Weems presents a harsh irony: in the 19th century, young African American women were much more likely to work as servants in upper-class houses than to appear in formal portraits.

Questions for Discussion:

• What do you notice about this image?

  • Point out elements you notice in the photograph. This may include details about the three children, such as appearance and pose, the shape of the photo, the composition, and the colors.

• What artistic choices did the photographer make?

• What compositional and photographic elements do you notice, and why?

• How is the photo framed?

After examining the photographs from the Unshuttered and Getty collection, what do you think makes a photograph interesting? What kinds of photographs are you personally drawn to?

Apply your knowledge of the rule of thirds and elements of art to create four photographs with intentional compositional elements. It is important to remember that photography is all about the process. Today you’ll begin experimenting with four photography examples.

You’ll make:

• One portrait photograph (either a portrait of someone else or a self-portrait)
• One landscape photograph
• One still life photograph
• One photography that documents things happening on the street, often called “candid” photography

Watch: Look at a few videos that experiment with composition in different ways. Unshuttered Rule of Thirds, Framing your Composition, Foreground Composition, and Background Composition.

Make Plans: Artists often brainstorm by sketching or writing down their ideas in a sketchbook or journal. This process helps you keep track of your ideas and becomes helpful in the future when developing new ideas.

Write down your responses to the following:

• Who will you take a portrait of?
• Will it be a self-portrait or a portrait of a friend or loved one?
• What kind of landscape will you be creating?
• Is it a place you frequent?
• Will it be more spontaneous?
• What items will you photograph for your still life?
• How will you place those items?
• If you choose to take an image that is “candid” or street photography, how will you be mindful of photographing people you do not know?

Consider these questions, as well as the composition and the rule of thirds, as you depict your worlds.

Begin Creating: Grab your cameras, photograph with intent, and have fun.

Take about 5 minutes to think about, write down, or discuss what techniques worked well, what did not work as well, and what to work on for the next class. Reflection can take place in a group setting or individually. Continue taking photographs and experimenting with various composition angles. Be prepared to discuss one of your photographs.