The Importance of Composition in Photography

Too often I have heard people say that photography is all about light.

I’ll admit it is important but you can’t neglect composition.

When I look at these photos I’m reminded of one of the reasons I like photography. Composition and framing have always been fun for me, and it’s something that photographers have almost total control of. When I am outside on location I look to see what is around me and what might be interesting in a photograph. Once I see something that interests there are many decisions that impact how I make the photograph.

• Do I want to get close and eliminate distracting elements in the background?
• Do I shoot from above or below my subject?
• Do I want the horizon line to go across the middle of the frame, or do I want in the upper or lower third?
• Do I want the whole frame in focus or do I want to highlight specific details?

Once I’ve made decisions for a single photo, I am than considering how I want to showcase the entire scene across multiple photos? What is the most important piece of the scene I want to highlight and how can I make a small set of photos that work well together? In a sense I am curating reality with my camera.

Very often photographers will receive push back when the audience believes the photos were edited in an unnatural or fake way. In most cases, the push back received is probably warranted to some degree. The larger point however is how much of reality is already altered the second the photographer trips the shutter. Take a look at these photos for instance. Based on what I chose for you to see you have some kind of notion of this place and what it is. However, there is a lot here that is hidden and impossible for you to know based on how I framed the photos. For me, the important quality to communicate with these photos was the cool stillness at the river this morning. It doesn’t matter that there are high tensile power lines in close view, or that there is an ugly concrete boat launch just behind these flowers. Those elements didn’t fit with my story and theme, and so they’re left out.

Whenever I take out my camera I try to imagine what really needs to be shared in the photo and then be intentional about removing everything that doesn’t. The editing process starts in camera, and when it’s done properly the color grading in post is just a little icing on the cake.

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