Photography Composition JEA Photojournalism Curriculum

Photography

CompositionJEA Photojournalism Curriculum

What is composition?

Composition refers to the way a photo is constructed/planned to make the biggest possible impact.

Composition rules are ingredients that a photographer may use, but just like a chef wouldn’t use all of the ingredients in his pantry in one meal, a photographer won’t use every composition skill in one photograph.

Rule #1: Rule of Thirds• If you divide your picture into a tic-

tac-toe board, your subject should not be located in the center square

Bushra Ghafoor, R.B. Hayes High School

Addie Driskill, Maize (Kan.) High School

Daisy Marquez, Maize (Kan.) High School

The PIX Yearbook - Little Rock, Arkansas

Rule #2: Repetition

• A repeating pattern works well to emphasize your subject

• A little bit of variance (changing it up) within the repetition is even better

Aysen Tan, Foothill Dragon Press

Aysen Tan, Foothill Dragon Press

The PIX Yearbook - Little Rock, Arkansas

Rule #3: Angles

• If you can change the angle or viewpoint of your photograph, you automatically make it more interesting

Note: Changing the angle does NOT mean tilting the camera.

Bird’s Eye View

The PIX Yearbook - Little Rock, Arkansas

The PIX Yearbook - Little Rock, Arkansas

Worm’s Eye View

Mikaela Stevenson, Maize (Kan.) High School

Rule #4: Strong Subject(Or “Fill the Frame”)

• Photo has a strong, dominant focal point and/or center of interest• Keep your background simple to avoid

distractions

Samantha Terrell, Maize (Kan.) High School

Bushra Ghafoor, R.B. Hayes High School

The PIX Yearbook - Little Rock, Arkansas

Rule #5: Framing

• Use natural elements to create a frame for your photo, so your audience knows exactly what your focus is

Aysen Tan, Foothill Dragon Press

Bushra Ghafoor, R.B. Hayes High School

The PIX Yearbook - Little Rock, Arkansas

Rule #6: Leading Lines

• Lines in a photo direct a viewer’s focus to the photo’s subject

The PIX Yearbook - Little Rock, Arkansas

The PIX Yearbook - Little Rock, Arkansas

The PIX Yearbook - Little Rock, Arkansas

Rule #7: Selective Focus

• When a photographer narrows a picture’s depth of field so that only part of the picture is in focus.

(Combine this with rule of thirds to create an awesome photo!)

Aysen Tan, Foothill Dragon Press

Brittani Casement, Maize (Kan.) High School

The PIX Yearbook - Little Rock, Arkansas

Limits of composition rules

A chef may use high-end ingredients but that doesn’t automatically make the recipe taste great.Just because a photo has great composition doesn’t make it a great journalistic photo.

A journalistic photo must also tell a compelling story.

Without a compelling story, a photo

will fall flat of its purpose.

It may be beautiful, but it must also be impactful.

The best stories include individuals and supporting details to give views a complete

picture.

Bryant High School Publications

McKinney High School Publications

Casey Simmons, Westlake High School