10 top Rules of Photographic Composition

You will want to be aware of these rules as you prepare your Prezi about a photojournalist, as well as your own project!

www.photographymad.com/pages/view/10-top-photography-composition-rules

10 Top Photography Composition Rules

It may sound clichéd, but the only rule in photography is that there are no rules. However, there are are number of established composition guidelines which can be applied in almost any situation, to enhance the impact of a scene.
These guidelines will help you take more compelling photographs, lending them a natural balance, drawing attention to the important parts of the scene, or leading the viewer's eye through the image.
Once you are familiar with these composition tips, you'll be surprised at just how universal most of them are. You'll spot them everywhere, and you'll find it easy to see why some photos "work" while others feel like simple snapshots.

Rule of Thirds

Imagine that your image is divided into 9 equal segments by 2 vertical and 2 horizontal lines. The rule of thirds says that you should position the most important elements in your scene along these lines, or at the points where they intersect.
Doing so will add balance and interest to your photo. Some cameras even offer an option to superimpose a rule of thirds grid over the LCD screen, making it even easier to use.

Notice how the building and horizon are aligned along rule-of-thirds lines. Image by Trey Ratcliff.

Balancing Elements

Placing your main subject off-centre, as with the rule of thirds, creates a more interesting photo, but it can leave a void in the scene which can make it feel empty. You should balance the "weight" of your subject by including another object of lesser importance to fill the space.

Here, the visual "weight" of the road sign is balanced by the building on the other side of the shot. Image by Shannon Kokoska.

Leading Lines

When we look at a photo our eye is naturally drawn along lines. By thinking about how you place lines in your composition, you can affect the way we view the image, pulling us into the picture, towards the subject, or on a journey "through" the scene. There are many different types of line - straight, diagonal, curvy, zigzag, radial etc - and each can be used to enhance our photo's composition.

The road in this photo draws your eye through the scene. Image by Pierre Metivier.

Symmetry and Patterns

We are surrounded by symmetry and patterns, both natural and man-made., They can make for very eye-catching compositions, particularly in situations where they are not expected. Another great way to use them is to break the symmetry or pattern in some way, introducing tension and a focal point to the scene.

The symmetry of this chapel is broken by the bucket in the bottom right corner. Image by Fabio Montalto.

Viewpoint

Before photographing your subject, take time to think about where you will shoot it from. Our viewpoint has a massive impact on the composition of our photo, and as a result it can greatly affect the message that the shot conveys. Rather than just shooting from eye level, consider photographing from high above, down at ground level, from the side, from the back, from a long way away, from very close up, and so on.

The unusual viewpoint chosen here creates an intriguing and slightly abstract photo. Image by ronsho.

Background

How many times have you taken what you thought would be a great shot, only to find that the final image lacks impact because the subject blends into a busy background? The human eye is excellent at distinguishing between different elements in a scene, whereas a camera has a tendency to flatten the foreground and background, and this can often ruin an otherwise great photo. Thankfully this problem is usually easy to overcome at the time of shooting - look around for a plain and unobtrusive background and compose your shot so that it doesn't distract or detract from the subject.

The plain background in this composition ensures nothing distracts from the subject. Image by Philipp Naderer.

Depth

Because photography is a two-dimensional medium, we have to choose our composition carefully to conveys the sense of depth that was present in the actual scene. You can create depth in a photo by including objects in the foreground, middle ground and background. Another useful composition technique is overlapping, where you deliberately partially obscure one object with another. The human eye naturally recognises these layers and mentally separates them out, creating an image with more depth.

Emphasise your scene's depth by including interesting subjects at varying distances from the camera. Image by Jule Berlin.

Framing

The world is full of objects which make perfect natural frames, such as trees, archways and holes. By placing these around the edge of the composition you help to isolate the main subject from the outside world. The result is a more focused image which draws your eye naturally to the main point of interest.

Here, the surrounding hills form a natural frame, and the piece of wood provides a focal point. Image by Sally Crossthwaite.

Cropping

Often a photo will lack impact because the main subject is so small it becomes lost among the clutter of its surroundings. By cropping tight around the subject you eliminate the background "noise", ensuring the subject gets the viewer's undivided attention.

Cut out all unnecessary details to keep keep the viewer's attention focused on the subject. Image by Hien Nguyen.

Experimentation

With the dawn of the digital age in photography we no longer have to worry about film processing costs or running out of shots. As a result, experimenting with our photos' composition has become a real possibility; we can fire off tons of shots and delete the unwanted ones later at absolutely no extra cost. Take advantage of this fact and experiment with your composition - you never know whether an idea will work until you try it.

Digital photography allows us to experiment with different compositions until we find the perfect one. Image by Jule Berlin.

Composition in photography is far from a science, and as a result all of the "rules" above should be taken with a pinch of salt. If they don't work in your scene, ignore them; if you find a great composition that contradicts them, then go ahead and shoot it anyway. But they can often prove to be spot on, and are worth at least considering whenever you are out and about with your camera.

Again,  more advice for you to follow.

The Rules of Photographic Composition

By Dave Johnson, PCWorld    Apr 18, 2011 5:20 PM

Take Better Photos With Your Digital Camera

Follow the Rule of Thirds

Most people are at least somewhat familiar with the rule of thirds. The rule of thirds is utterly ubiquitous: Every movie and TV show makes almost constant use of it, and professional photographers avoid putting the subject in the center of the frame almost without exception. To understand it, draw two lines through a photo, dividing it into thirds. This turns it into something like a tic-tac-toe board, as you see here.
At its essence, the rule of thirds says that you'll get the most interesting photos when your subject isn't in the center of the frame, but rather is positioned off-center, to the left, right, up, or down. You can position your subject at any of the four intersection points of the third lines, or along one of the four lines, like the birds in this example.

Use Diagonals to Your Advantage

Here's another trick using lines: If you want to add a sense of drama to your photograph, look for ways to incorporate a diagonal. Draw a mental line from one corner of the scene to the other; if you can find some element in the situation that more or less follows this line, it can make your shot more dynamic and add some energy to the scene, almost as if it's pulling the viewer through the scene. The diagonal can run the entire length of the photo, as it does in this photo.
But it's not critical for your diagonal to span the entire photo. You can get essentially the same effect even with a partial diagonal, such as this.

Break the Monotony

This is a fun one. No doubt you've seen photos in which most of the frame is filled with more or less the same thing: a field of grass, a pile of pennies, rocks, fish, stars in the night sky. Such photos truly would be monotonous if that's all they offered, but often, the photographer will incorporate one out-of-place element that attracts your eye like a magnet. With that in mind, this rule says that you should look for photos that are mostly uniform and then break the pattern with an element that disturbs the natural flow or organization of the scene.

Make it Symmetric (and Then Disturb Your Symmetry)

Rules, of course, are meant to be broken. The rule of symmetry is all about capturing the natural symmetry in nature. There are a few ways to do this. You might shoot a scene in which both sides of your photo are essentially the same, for example. Or you might shoot a photo of something that is itself quite symmetrical, like a flower.
Even better, though, is when you incorporate a lesson from the rule about monotonous content and shake things up with a little variation. Surprise the viewer, either by making one side of the photo nonsymmetrical, or, in this example, defeat the symmetry of the flower by shooting only part of it in the frame.

Position Movement Into the Frame

One of my favorite photo subjects is motion. I like capturing the essence of speed and energy in what's by its very definition a static art form. But how you introduce that motion into your photo is really important. Whether you're shooting a speeding car, an airplane, a flock of birds, or a running dog, be sure that the motion leads into the frame, not out of it. By that, I mean you should give the leading edge of your moving subject plenty of room; it should be positioned on a third line (see the rule of thirds) and pointed at the center of the frame, not at the closest edge, as you see in this shot.

Photojournalism Project/ Dan Eldon Video

Dying to Tell the Story/ Dan Eldon

 Dan Eldon and Photojournalism

Please write a personal response to the Dan Eldon video, "Dying to Tell a Story," with  at least a page of thoughtful, double-spaced prose that you will print out. Also post your comments for blogging and responding to one another. Try to answer the follow questions:

1. After seeing the video, how has your view of the function of journalism in the world changed, broadened, evolved? Are the journalists/photojournalists who work in conflict zones and report for news agencies simply crazy for risking their lives, or do they perform an important service for us all? Why is it imperative that stories of what is happening in places like Somalia, Sarajevo, and Darfur be told?

2. Do a little research. Find out how many journalists have been killed in the world in the past year? How many reporters have been killed in Iraq? Afghanistan? Just recently, Egypt?

Read:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1353344/One-journalist-killed-dozens-attacked-detained-military-finally-intervenes-try-stem-violence-Egypt.html

and:
http://www.cpj.org/killed/2010/





Suggested Activities

Responses to War

Conflict zones are filled simultaneously with humanity’s most brutal treatment of itself and its most compassionate responses. Photojournalists interviewed in Dying to Tell the Story, along with the film clips and photographs found in the documentary, develop the theme of men and women responding with courage and compassion in the most dangerous places on earth.


WRITING SUGGESTIONS FOR STUDENTS:

* What traits does it take to be a good photojournalist or war correspondent? Explain your answer.

* Describe a time in which you have been in a frightening situation that required immediate attention (such as a fight or a bad injury requiring emergency room attention). How did you respond and feel?

* Think and write about a time in which you responded compassionately to someone who

treated you unfairly or unkindly.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

* Do you have preconceived ideas about people involved in wars: terrorists, soldiers, relief workers, journalists? About war in general? What are they, and how do you think you arrived at your opinion?

* Do you tend to stereotype the traits of courage and compassion by gender? Give examples, then look for examples in Dying to Tell the Story that override the stereotypes.




After Viewing: Suggested Activities and Discussion Questions

1. COURAGE

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

* Carlos Mavroleon and Des Wright discuss the image of the "cowboy photographer." What is meant by this term? How does one draw the line between true courage and foolhardy bravery? In what ways do the many journalists interviewed dispel the cowboy image? Consider BBC war correspondent Martin Bell’s refusal to wear his protective flak jacket when interviewing civilians caught in the Bosnian crisis. Defend his contention that he is courageous and not foolhardy in this action.

* Acts of courage are discussed and portrayed throughout Dying to Tell the Story. Who is courageous in conflict zones? What does it take to be brave? Can anyone be courageous? When have you been especially brave? How does it feel? Does courage involve fear? In what ways?

* What in the documentary illustrates Dan Eldon’s courage? Amy Eldon’s?

2. COMPASSION

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

* Consider the negative stereotype that photojournalists must be cold to film victims of war rather than reaching out to help them. In what ways does Dying to Tell the Story dispel that stereotype? Discuss clips of Dan Eldon, Peter Magubane, and Mohamed Shafi that illustrate their compassion.



ASSIGNMENT:


For this assignment, the students are to create a Prezi presentation for the class that introduces the biography and background of the photographer, shows and describes 6 photographs the photographer has taken and explains the significance of the photos and their impact on the viewer. Students will present their finished projects to the class .

In addition, the students are to put together 10 pictures of their own for a personal photographic journalism essay.
The photos should make a statement in themselves about a topic of interest to the individual student and will also be presented to the class.

Reading First Person Articles

www.nytimes.com/2011/06/26/magazine/my-life-as-an-undocumented-immigrant.html?pagewanted=all

www.rd.com/true-stories/inspiring/anne-lamott-a-grandmothers-tale/

300 Word Articles--the short and long of it!

Keep working on your long (1000 word) article.  Think about the layout of the final version of your article.

What visuals will you use?  What information will go into charts or other sidebars?  What quotes are good for text boxes?   Will you use Drop Caps and other kinds of FONT devices?

There is a special kind of magazine article known as the 300-word article.   Here is your next assignment and some articles about it:


theamericanscholar.org/the-300-word-challenge/
William Zinsser's article

300words.posterous.com/


www.arcticllama.com/blog/writing-tips/300-words-about-writing-300-words/
How-to

www.drostdesigns.com/how-to-write-a-300-word-article-in-30-minutes-or-less/



www.donna-warren.com/portfolio/seo.html
an example of a 300 word article

CLIP FILES: Organizing research

Here is some information about research that might be helpful as you work on your article (yes, this is about research papers and mindmapping, but it also pertains to writing articles)

from http://www.studygs.net/plagiarism.htmReading and research series

Organizing research with computers
& avoiding plagiarism

Plagiarism:

1. To use and pass off (the ideas or writings of another) as one's own.
2. To appropriate for use as one's own passages or ideas from (another). 1

Plagiaries: accidental using and passing off someone's work or ideas as your own
This Guide is intended to help you avoid accidental plagiarizing
Why document your work with that of others?
Why reference, footnote, endnote?

• Your research will be better
  as you document the quality of your sources
• Your argument will be better
  with the support of authorities and statistics you quote, paraphrase, and summarize
• Your writing style will be better
  if your readers can see how you build on, and agree or disagree with the work of others
• Sometimes the source says it better
  and you may as well use it and cite it
• Your readers may be interested in exactly
  what your reference says, or in its context, etc.
• Citing sources may demonstrate that there are opposing points of view,
  even opposing statistics! or establish consistency for the sake of argument

When is it appropriate to reference another's work?
When you are

• Quoting directly
• Using unique expressions or ideas of another,
  whether from printed resources, the Internet, interviews, even casual conversations
• Documenting facts, reproducing images, tables, etc.
• Referencing opinions of experts,
  whether or not you agree with them
• Getting extraordinary help from someone,
  a tutor, a teacher, even a roommate or parent.  Why not?

When don't you reference:
When

• A fact or idea is commonly understood
• A reasonable search has led to no author or source
  (for example the phrase "give credit where credit is due" seems to be a common expression without an author
• What you say is commonly accepted and not cited elsewhere

When researching,
how can I organize
and keep track of my sources?

How can I use my computer effectively?

When beginning a project, create a new folder
Save all your research in separate files in this folder
Include bibliographic information: author; type of source; web address, publisher, etc.; date
Develop a "code" that will help you identify the type of source, the person responsible, and the date
Combine all research into one file

1. Save it as your research file in this folder, and keep it separate
2. Within this combined file, head each section of notes
   with the code you developed above
3. Do not alter this combined research file except to add new research/information

Duplicate your combined research file into a working duplicate
Use "save as" to create a second file of the research file
Use this file to organize your research

1. Use the copy and paste strategy to combine and organize the text, graphics and images
2. Create and bold face topics and sub-headings
3. Bold face and/or underline common terms, key words, duplicate expressions, arguments for and against
4. Delete all that is not useful
5. Save and store this second research file in the project folder
6. In a separate document, develop an outline or concept map of your paper
7. Go to http://www.studygs.net/mapping/

Create (save as...)
a third file from the re-organized research file

1. Add a couple blank pages at the beginning of this file.
2. Begin to write your draft.
3. Write from your outline/map and from what you remember of your research and preparation
4. Only look up the research when necessary in order to keep your focus on the writing.
5. Only copy and paste from your research when you quote directly
6. Indent quotations to separate them clearly within your draft
7. If you need to paraphrase or summarize, make it clear in the text
   (According to Joe Landsberger, ...)
8. After you complete this draft, save it in the project folder.

Create a fourth file from this third

1. Delete all the research at its bottom
   (Remember: you have not deleted anything in the second and third copies)
2. Revise this draft into your final paper
3. Cite any work of others from your research in footnotes and/or endnotes in the style required
4. Print this draft and review for any text or information you may have reproduced from the first file of your research
   

How to Write A Query Letter

www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/844651-How-to-Write-a-Query-Letter


www.aboutfreelancewriting.com/articles/howtosample/samplequeryletter.htm

www.aboutfreelancewriting.com/2009/08/magazine-query-letter-sample/

Today we will do presentations of our magazine articles and also brainstorm ideas for our own magazine feature article.


We will also work on writing a query article.  Please check out the websites for instructions.

Feature Articles

FEATURE ARTICLES
A feature article is a creative article that deals with real events, issues, and trends.
However, unlike straight news articles, it places emphasis on the people involved rather
than on the facts of the news.
There are seven types of feature articles described on these pages. NOTE: Most feature
articles have elements of more than one kind.
THE HUMAN-INTEREST FEATURE
· This is the most common type of feature article.
· This type typically reports on someone’s success in spite of great odds.
· It may recall a tragic predicament.
· It may share a continuing struggle supported only by hope and faith.
THE PERSONALITY FEATURE
· The subject of the article may be famous or not so famous but has done something of interest
to others.
· This type usually shows how a person gained recognition.
· The personality feature is very much like a character sketch.
“THE BEST” ARTICLES
· The Courier-Journal has a column that publishes reviews of the “best” products of all kinds.
· This type of article usually includes the writer’s personal experiences with the product.
· It includes proof and examples that the product is the best of its kind.
· The article includes information about where to get the product and how much it costs.
· The article usually has a catchy title.
THE NEWS FEATURE
· This type of article brings a human-interest focus to breaking news.
· It adds personal involvement to what may otherwise be a distant, seemingly unimportant
event.

THE HOW-TO FEATURE
· This article explains how to do something – usually a complex process that most people
would not know how to do.
· The best how-to articles begin by telling the reader why it is important or beneficial for him
or her to know how to do this.
· The article explains the steps of the process in enough detail so that another person can do
this process.
· This article also includes a list of all of the materials needed to do this process.
THE PAST EVENTS FEATURE
· This article focuses on an historical event or historical celebration.
· The article typically includes research but is not like an encyclopedia report. The article
serves as a human interest history lesson.
· This type of writing is usually puts a “human face” on history. In other words, it lets the
reader know something about the people who were part of history.
THE INFORMATIONAL FEATURE
· This type of article shows insightful coverage of a topic.
· It gives detailed information focused on one aspect of a given topic.
· The article often refers to sources of research but is not like an encyclopedia report. Instead,
the writer makes a personal connection to the subject and includes his/her voice.


Various Ways to Include
Details in an Article:
Anecdotes Examples/Non-examples
Vignettes Tables/Graphs/Charts
Descriptions Facts
Comparison Contrast
Snapshots Pictures/Drawings
Reasons Quotations
Flashback Foreshadowing
Information adapted from Webster’s New World High School Writer’s Notebook

Types of Text Features:
Headings
Fonts
Subheadings
Bullets
Offsets
Text Boxes
Color Ink
Italics
Bold Font
Underlining
All Capital Letters