On the evening of 23 Sept. 2015, Jason Gennings once again shared his knowledge and humor with the Woodstock Camera Club.
As we started there was standing room only and extra chairs were brought in. That is an indication of our past experiences with this speaker.
Jason talked about composition:
noun
1. the act of combining parts or elements to form a whole.
2. the resulting state or product.
What I got out of the meeting after normally thinking about the composition (or end result) is: to Compose
verb
1. to make or form by combining things, parts, or elements.
It is all about our actions. Jason spent a lot of time talking about the things and elements to combine but he started with the important part: The photographer has to actually find and consciously work to “compose” to get the composition they desire. A stunning photograph is the result of that work. (He did note you will fail more than you succeed and if you don’t fail, you’re not trying hard enough.)
I have posted numerous links on our Facebook page about composition. They are useful but Jason spent the time to explain with anecdotes why we use these elements in a photograph. Rule of Thirds, Linear Properties, Selective Focus, Framing, Space and Lines of power.
Lines for example may lead into a picture but the each type of line has a great effect.
For example a curve (river, sand dune) provide a friendly, warm comfortable feeling while a jagged line (lightning, a line icicles) suggest chaos and unrest.
It was a great evening, Thanks again for sharing.
Assignment
1. Choose one type of composition
2. Write it down
3. Go to a parking lot and make the world give you that composition
(Be safe and respectful while you do it.)
Books
“Picture This – How pictures Work” by Molly Bang (Recommended)
“The Photographer’s Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos by Michael Freeman
“The Minds Eye”, (Writings on Photography and Photographers) by Henri Cartier-Bresson
BoB