using your camera's autofo-cus feature. Chapter 3 tells you much more about how to use your equipment.
igure 2–4: The camera lens focused at different distances.
In the following sections, I show you how to create an illusion of three-dimensional space in a two- dimensional photograph. In other words, I explain how to give viewers a sense of space similar to what they would get from the scene in real life. I also discuss how to control what viewers look at in your photographs.
ReVealinq three dimensions In a to-dimensional medium
Having a pair of eyes rather than just one eye gives you the capability of
Although your camera produces two-dimensional images, it can recognize three-dimensional space because its lens can focus at different distances. A camera image with one element in focus while another is blurry represents the way your eyes observe a scene. You can use this technique in conjunction with certain compositional techniques to maximize the representation
of three-dimensionality (or depth) in a photograph. The following clues in a composition can tip off a viewer about how much distance is between different elements:
Merging elements: You experience merging when two or more elements intersect based on your viewing position. When one element physically blocks your line of sight to another element, you can assume that the position of the element that you see is closer to you than that of the blocked element. Figure 2–5 shows an example in which mountains merge in front of other mountains that are farther from the camera.
Size relationships: When you know the typical size of something in a photograph, you can use it to reveal spatial information. If two adults are in a scene, you can assume that they're of similar size (give or take a foot). If one of the people appears to be much larger in the frame than the other, the viewer recognizes that the larger person is closer to him.
Figure 2–5: Showing merging elements to establish a sense of distance between them.
' Tonal gradation: You use shadows, highlights, and tonal gradations to reveal three- dimensional surfaces in a photograph.
Paying attention to everything in the frame
You're responsible for everything that appears in your chosen frame. So only those items that affect your message should be included in your frame. In other words, if something causes a viewer to ask, 'Why is this here?' you know you should have either found a way to exclude it from your photograph or have an explanation as to why it's there.
When you look at a scene, ask yourself which elements convey your message and which ones may distract from it. Remove the distractions whenever possible. The most basic method for eliminating something from your frame is to crop it out as you're taking the photo. You can do so by zooming your lens, by moving closer to your subject to include less of the scene, or by moving your camera to the left or right or up or down. (Chapter 8 gives you tips about revealing and hiding items in a scene.) You also can remove some distracting elements during postproduction editing, but you should only use this method as a last resort (refer to Chapter 18).
In Figure 2–6, you see two scenes. The top image includes distracting elements; the bottom one shows an improved version of the image that I created by cropping at the time of the photograph. The original image, which shows a young woman doing yoga in an urban setting, was designed to appeal to young professional types who would be drawn to the idea of living in a modern condo building in downtown Miami. The scene was fairly cheap and artificial-looking, so I wanted to create a more natural look that included some of the surrounding city. These two images provide the same subject and environment, but the message was idealized by minimizing the details in the final image.
Figure 2–6: Cropping into the scene eliminated distracting elements, creating a stronger message.
Finding and Creating Effective Compositions
The more you pay attention to and look for beauty in your surroundings, the more motivation you have to create photographs. After you take the images, go through them and determine what was successful and what wasn't — and why. Experience is the key to being good at anything, especially at creating excellent photographic compositions.
Here are a few ideas that you can use to enhance your skills as an observer and photographer:
Corner yourself. Choose a place or specific scene and force yourself to take as many pictures of it as you can think of. Change your camera angles and your distances to the different elements. Focus on different things in the scene and pay attention to the qualities of light, color, and textures in the area. By sticking to that one scene, you may start to notice things about it that you would normally overlook. Starting to notice those things is how you develop your eye. You could probably create an entire body of work just from shooting in your own backyard. You just haven't
Limit your shots. Approach a scene and allow yourself to take only one photo. Before you take the shot, make sure you've observed the entire scene and know that you've found the composition that best suits your outlook at that time. Pay attention to how the light is affecting your scene. If it seems like things will get better as the sun moves through the sky to the west, wait to take the shot. If clouds are rolling in, and you feel that you may lose your good light, take the shot before the clouds set in. Be aware of all compositional elements present in a scene so you can make wise decisions. Later, if you revisit the same scene, take another single image and compare the differences between how you felt about the scene the first time and how you felt the second time.
Limit your time. Approach a scene and allow yourself only a specific amount of time to get as many great shots as you can. This exercise helps you think on your toes and waste little time in getting the shot you want.
Look for inspiration in the work of other photographers. Sometimes looking at another artist's work helps you realize a brand-new approach to photography and better equips you to see the potential of elements all around you. Most professional photographers have Web sites that display their best works. If you like a particular photographer's style and know his
name, you can perform an online search to find his portfolios. Otherwise, you can search for nature photographers, portrait photographers, fashion photographers, travel photographers, and so on based on what kind of inspiration you're looking for.
