kompozicia.doc

8/14/2019 kompozicia.doc

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People tend to perceive by distinguishingbetween a figure and a background (the figuregroundrelationship). Objects that are close together are likely tobe seen as a group (the principle of proximity). Objects that are similar are more likely to be

seen as a group (the principle of similarity). People tend to see complete figures evenwhen part of the information is missing (the principleof closure).PO!O"#$P% & !' $#! O O*PO+,!,O- People tend to perceive subjects as continuousfigures (the principle of continuity).$lthough "estalt theory provides little directguidance on how to compose photographs it isuseful to photographers by showing how compositionalchoices can affect the way viewers perceivean image. "estalt theory is also useful tophotographers because it helps to explain whypeople can perceive scenes so differently from theway they record photographically. ,n visual perceptionfactors such as the distance of the subjectfrom the background provide importantvisual clues. ,n photographs other clues such ascontrast tonality and color may dominate./hen making images photographers need totake such factors into account and not rely solelyon their initial perceptions."estalt theory and other research into visualperception also show that people recogni0e subjectsby evaluating images in their entirety. ,n

other words the process of perceiving a subjectdoes not involve the se1uential mental analysisof the discrete elements. $lthough there is a traditionof explaining composition in terms of2leading lines3 and other visual devices that supposedlydirect the eye to the subject science doesnot support this premise. "ood composition maydepend on the relationships between elementsbut the brain nonetheless perceives them as anintegrated part of the whole.

!he traditional principles of compositionmost of which are derived from graphic designdo nothing more than provide a catalog of elementsthat tend to create favorable impressionson viewers. !here is no reason to refrain fromusing them if you find them useful but they arenot inviolate rules nor do they apply to all situations.*ost photographers once they ac1uireThe main benefit of the rule of thirds is that it encourages

photographers to put the subject matter off center.When applied in practice, it should only be used as astarting point. As the image on the right shows, compositions


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often suffer when the guideline is applied toomechanically. Many visual elements can affect a composition,and placing a single point at the intersection ofthe thirds rarely results in the best visual balance.enough experience tend to rely on their intuitivesense of composition and generally stop using

guidelines at the conscious level.!he best known of the compositional guidelinesis the rule of thirds. $ccording to this guidelinethe important compositional elementsshould be placed at the intersections of imaginarylines that divide the image into thirds hori0ontallyand vertically. $ significant strength of thisguideline is that it encourages beginning photographersto move away from the natural tendencyto place dominant elements at the center of theimage. Placing the subject off center often resultsin images that have a more pleasing visual balance.,t also helps photographers avoid discordant

effects such as the 2dividing a picture inhalf3 effect that occurs when the hori0on is placedhalfway up the photograph. owever it is importantto remember that the 2rule3 is only a guidelinethat is useful when it improves an image andshould be freely disregarded in the fre1uent situationswhen it does not.$nother compositional principle that coversthe placement of visual elements is the rule thatmergers should be avoided. *ergers occur whenan object in the foreground is superimposed onan object in the background. $ccording to the

traditional theory viewers will perceive suchobjects as joined together. !he classic example isthe lamppost growing out of a person4s head.owever even a cursory look at a few photographswill show that this principle is poorlyfounded. $s "estalt theory explains peopleinstinctively distinguish between a figure and itsbackground and are not readily confused by mostsuperimpositions. *ergers seem to really interferewith the perception of images when the colorstonalities and shapes of the subject and backgroundobjects are sufficiently similar to mask theedges that provide information about depth. !he

role of seeing with respect to mergers shouldtherefore not be overly concerned with avoidingsuperimposed objects but rather with avoiding situationsin which it is difficult to distinguishbetween the edges of the figure and ground.Other traditional principles pertain to thepositioning of linear elements in a composition.5ines are important because they along withpoints and shapes are a fundamental geometric


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element. 6nder traditional composition theorythe lines in an image direct the viewer4s attentionto the interesting parts of the image. 5ines arealso supposed to be important because they contributeto the sense of mood in a photograph.$ccording to tradition hori0ontal lines are associated

with serenity vertical lines are associatedwith strength and diagonal lines tend to be associatedwith dynamism. /hen used in the contextof graphic design these principles may hold upfor images with a few simple elements. owevermost photographs have lines running at multipleangles and obtain their sense of mood or expressionfrom factors other than the orientation oftheir lines.urves are another kind of lines for whichprinciples of composition have been developed.When mergers occur, they are generally caused by similaritiesin shape, color, and tonality between the subjectand an object in the background.,n general curves are supposed to contributegrace and dignity to an image. !he s7curve tendsto be the one most commonly discussed. /hileimages with s7curves often possess a graceful elegancephotographers should avoid assuming theyhave some special compositional power. !hepresence of an s7curve will not necessarily makean otherwise bland image more interesting.ompositional guidelines exist in manyother forms. 'xamples include the incorporationof patterns vertical and hori0ontal orientations

angle of view textures and backgrounds. -oneof these guidelines are inherently bad and manyphotographers find them useful. owever placingtoo much emphasis on guidelines can limitthe ability to perceive a scene by shifting the cognitiveprocessing away from perception to analyticalprocessing. ,t is worth noting that the formalstudy of composition receives much less emphasisin the traditional fine arts than it does in photography./hile many art books refer to compositionalguidelines most discuss composition usingterms such as balance movement emphasis andunity. !he unstated assumption seems to be thatonce the sense of seeing is ac1uired compositionwill take care of itself.Viewing Other Peoples Photographs5ooking at the images made by other photographersis an excellent way to improve yourability to see photographically. 8oing so will giveyou ideas about what the medium of photographyis capable of doing and when done critically canprovide insight into how other photographers go


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about making their images. !o get the most benefitfrom viewing images you should look at avariety of work by different photographers in differentgenres. 'ven though you will likely benefitthe most from looking at the work of photographersyou admire be sure to review some work

that does not appeal to you.!here are several ways to find photographsfor viewing. 'xhibitions of original prints inmuseums galleries and similar settings allow youto see photographs in the form of presentationmost likely favored by the photographer.$lthough you should not pass up opportunitiesto see good exhibits access to original work is notessential to glean good information from theworks of other photographers. 9ooks and maga0inesare a good source of photographs for viewing.*any monographs and collections have beenprinted with a 1uality that approaches that of displayprints. +everal books that feature the imagesof widely acclaimed photographers are listed inthe bibliography./hen examining photographs for the purposeof enhancing your seeing try to suspend critical

judgment and assess your intuitive feelingsabout each image. 8o you like or dislike theimage: 8o you think it works well for its intendedpurpose: 5ook carefully at the photographsyou like and try to figure out why you like them.onversely look at photographs that do notappeal to you and determine why. !ry to avoid

judging photographs based on how closely theyfollow compositional guidelines. ,nstead concentrateon aspects such as the appeal of the subjectmatter your initial visual impression and the rolethat technical aspects such as sharpness and shadowdetail play in your reaction.

!o develop your sense of discernment speculateas to how the scene might have looked whenthe photographer first noticed it. !ry to figure outwhat extraneous elements might lie outside theimage. $lso assess why the photographer selectedthe particular viewpoint and how the imagemight appear if made from different positions.+ince film does not record light in the same mannerthat the human eye perceives it it is also usefulto speculate how the light actually appearedwhen the photographer took the photograph.actors to consider are the intensity diffusenessand cast of the light.$n excellent way to evaluate a photographand its composition is to make a sketch from it


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taking care to depict the major visual elementsexactly where they appear in the image. !his kindof exercise can help you overcome the abstractingprocess of the brain and better assess wherethose elements appear on the two7dimensionalsurface of the image.

$nother benefit of viewing a variety of photographsis that it develops an appreciation ofstyle. !here are no absolute rules as to whatmakes for a good photograph or a good style./hen evaluating collective works of individualphotographers look at how they use lightingcolor composition and graphic elements; thentry to determine which features dominate in makingthat photographer4s style distinctive. orexample the street photography of "arry /inograndis very different than the landscape photographyof 9ruce 9arnbaum although bothphotographers have worked extensively withmonochrome films and have excellent reputationsas fine art photographers. owever theirapproaches to subject matter and their use of differentkinds of e1uipment have contributed toradically different styles./inogrand4s images show his mastery of composingimages in dynamic settings. *ost weretaken in urban areas and feature people as themain subject matter. !he compositions are fre1uentlydominated by various alignments ofpoints (e.g. heads) and lines (e.g. bodies). reatingthese kinds of images re1uires highly developed

abilities to perceive elements in clutteredenvironments and to predict when where andhow the composition will come together. /inogrand4schoice of e1uipment and materials alsoinfluences his photographs. 'xposing !ri7< at ',=>>> in a handheld 5eica he could capture multiplescenes while working among streets andother public places. is images depend substantiallyon dynamism and subject matter for theirsubstantive effect.9ruce 9arnbaum works mostly in large format.is images are typically of landscape andarchitectural subjects and involve contemplativeconsideration and careful analysis of exposure andfiltration. ,n addition to his ability to envisionhow to get the most out of static scenes his attentionto the technical details of photographyenables him to make prints with subtle tonalitiesand contrasts.$nother aspect related to style is the visualpredilection of the photographer. +ome photographers


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distinctly favor certain visual elements inhow they perceive and render subject matter. orexample #obert rank has made extensive use ofpoint7like elements in his images whereas$lexander #odchenko used lines extensively and'dward /eston used forms extensively. Photographers

can show predilections towards usingvisual elements in other ways as well. *any of*argaret 9ourke7/hite4s images feature the repetitionof identical or very similar objects."aining an appreciation of predilections canbe applied to your work as well. ?nowing that youhave a predilection gives you the option of workingto further develop it or work around itdepending on your feelings about how it affectsyour work. 6nderstanding your predilections canalso help you to enhance your skills in variousgenres. or example sports photography can beapproached by concentrating on points linesforms or spaces but knowing that you are predisposedto perceiving certain elements can help youdecide how best to approach a particular visualsituation. onversely recogni0ing that you havea predilection may enable you to expand yourvisual approaches by working hard to overcome adominant means of perception.$lthough it can be beneficial to discern theelements that define the styles of various photographersyou generally should avoid trying to emulatethem. +tyle depends on many factors but isultimately determined by how the photographer

sees objects and spaces in the visual environment.or the most part style will develop without consciousattention as the photographer becomesmore proficient at seeing subjects and works moreconsciously at rendering them.5ikewise you should not worry that lookingat other photographers4 work will somehowimpair your creativity or impede the developmentof your individual style. @iewing and analy0ingthe work of others can influence a photographer4sstyle but will not determine it. 'ven if a particularphotographer4s work inspires you to take onthe same subject matter or to try a particularapproach differences in seeing will likely resultin styles that are nonetheless distinct.,n fact it isvery difficult to copy a particular style even if youare inclined to do so.Looking at ArtPhotography is one of many forms of visual art.$s such photographers can draw on the work ofartists in other media as a source of insight. 5ooking


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at art from the perspective of learning takesmore than glancing at a work and making superficial

judgments. 'ach successful work encompassesone or more problems that the artist hadto solve in order to depict the subject. +pendingsome time speculating about the problems that

the artist faced and evaluating the potential solutionswill be worth the effort when it comes tocomposing your images.$ good first step when looking at a work is totry and assess what motivated the artist to createa work of that particular subject. !his is best doneat an intuitive level without being overly judgmentalor trying to fit the work within the frameworkof political or historical criticism. ,rrespectiveof what critics and art historians often seemto imply most art has not been created in furtheranceof sociopolitical anger or with an intent tooppress the victimi0ed social class du jour. /hatyou should try to identify is the subject conceptand basic approach to expression.-ext assess the means by which the artistdepicted the subject. !here are many visual techni1uesthat can be used or omitted in compositionssuch as balance contrast harmonymovement repetition proportion and depth.onsider the choices the artist made with respectto the composition and the effect it has on theorgani0ation and clarity of the work. 'ach artistfavors certain approaches and discerning themwill help you understand the ways you might

approach and solve visual problems.$s with photographs you should not limityour viewing solely to works that appeal to you.owever when you do see something that registersstrongly try to deduce which elements makethose works visually powerful. *any works thatinitially appear simple can be fairly complex uponfurther consideration. $n example is Birth ofenus by +andro 9otticelli. ,n addition to thevaried poses of feet arms and heads this workfeatures common objects depicted in differentways. onversely some works that one mightassume are complex can actually be very straightforward.or example a realistic work depicting arestaurant on an urban street corner would beexpected to show do0ens if not hundreds ofobjects such as utility poles hydrants tablewareautomobiles wall hangings window signs newspaperracks litter and so forth. owever!ighthawks by 'dward opper is 1uite sparsewith regard to visual elements. ,f done properly


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looking at masterworks can show that the meansof depiction is as important to visual communicationas the subject matter.

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