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CompositionThe word composition means combining or 'putting together’ parts to form a whole.

Composition can apply to many works of human endeavour including music and writing – in fact anything that is arranged or ‘put together’ using conscious thought.

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Rule of Thirds

Divide the image into thirds as shown – If the main visual components (things in the image) lie near the lines then the image often tends to look ‘right’.

[Remember, rules are there to be broken - once you understand and can follow them!]

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Which one do you prefer?

Which image more closely follows the rule of thirds?

Chris Monaghan

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Gary Winogrand

Sometimes an image does not follow the rule of thirds exactly, but the main visual components (‘things’) in the image are close to the 1/3rd bisectors.

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Fay Godwin

Landscape photography often uses the rule of thirds – how?

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Fay Godwin

Landscape photography often uses the rule of thirds by having the horizon line on or near one of the two horizontal lines

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The Rule Of Even And Odd

Norman Parkinson

Dianne Arbus

An even number of ‘things’ in an image can sometimes create a feeling of tension or a slightly un-natural look.

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An odd number of subjects in an image often has a more natural, symmetrical or balanced feel than an even number.

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Henri Cartier Bresson

In much art 3 subjects or ‘things’ in an image (an odd number) can draw attention to the central subject.

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Triangles

Triangles have 3 sides and tend to form stable, solid looking compositions.

Arnold Newman

Can you spot any triangles?

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Victorian Family Portraits

Can you spot any triangles?

Why were triangular compositions often used for family portraits (think about what the triangle connotes – stability and solidity).

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Victorian Family Portraits

Think about what the triangle connotes – stability and solidity

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Rule of space

Which composition is more dynamic?

Which composition is more ‘restful’, allowing the subject to ‘look dreamily into space’?

Nadar

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Swimmers diving into the water

(shot from beneath the water, looking upwards).

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Space is sometimes used to help suggest movement.

The swimmers appear to be moving into the empty space ahead of them

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Simplification

How does Rembrandt draw our attention into the face?

Rembrandt, Self Portrait.

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Simplification

ANSWER:

1. Lighting - the face has more light on it than other areas.

2. The brush-strokes are finer and more detailed in the facial area but become broader and less detailed for other areas.

3. Vignette – the painting becomes darker towards the edges.

4. Use of colour – dark ‘drab’ colours except for the face.

Next Lesson:

• Bring in a camera!!!

• Bring in some objects to photograph – think about razzle dazzle!

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