There
is a tendency in all photographers to try and include everything we see
in one frame. It's as if the more we show at one time, the more we'll
get our ideas across. Exactly the opposite is true, however: the
simpler that you keep your compositions, the clearer your vision
becomes. Keeping things simple though requires a thoughtful process of
elimination and forces you to look at the image on your LCD and ask one
simple question: What don't I need here?
I am particularly
susceptible to overloading the frame when I'm traveling in a new place
and I'm very excited by the surrounds. While traveling in Iowa recently
(perhaps it was the simple surroundings) I decided to force myself to
keep my compositions as simple as possible--often just showing a single
object in the frame. It was a lot of fun to see how far down I could
strip a landscape and still come up with an interesting shot. When I
first saw this barn (outside of Des Moines, Iowa), for example, I was
thinking of including it in a much wider farm scene. But as I began to
eliminate other things like the fields, a small pond, the farmhouse, I
began to see that what had really caught my eye was just this wonderful
old barn.
When you're photographing any scene, see how many
elements you can strip away and still have a strong photo. My guess is
that the more you take away and the simpler you make things, the
stronger your images will become.
Silhouettes are a great way to simplify images (look in the menu for a separate tutorial on creating dramatic silhouettes). In this case I simply exposed for the bright water at the Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, Connecticut to silhouette the shapes of this mother and son.
Being selective about how much you include is really the fastest past to simple designs. As you compose an image, ask youself if there is anything you don't need--and then get rid of it!
The quickest path to a simple composition? Move closer! Fill the frame and you automatically make the design simpler.
By isolating this mother and baby bison (photographed near Prairie City, Iowa) against a simple grassy background, the empasis is placed entirely on the animals. Look for simple, uncluttered backgrounds when you're photographing wild animals.
Using limited depth of field (see the Tutorial I menu for more on lens apertures and depth of field) creates a soft, diffused background for these sunflowers. By using an out-of-focus background, the eye goes immediately to the flowers and to the bee on the left flower.
Entire Site Contents Copyright 2012 Jeff Wignall
An Ambitious Dogs Production In Association with Boo Boo & Mama Cat Films Please also visit my Photo Tip of the Day blog.
