Sometimes I choose to put a subject in the center of my frame as an artistic statement or because the scene is symmetrical and I want to depict it that way. However, as a general rule, I try to center my subjects as little as possible. Centering your subject is sort of like making it the bull's-eye on a target. It can be viewed as too obvious a place to put a subject, making it aesthetically unappealing; in fact, the viewer may think you were being lazy when you took the photo. Putting the subject off center can help liven up your photo's composition.
When I suggest putting the subject off center, I'm not simply suggesting that you remove it from the center of the frame. I'm suggesting that you move the subject out of the typical place of importance or compositional strength.
When I'm shooting an event with a keynote speaker, for example, I find myself wondering how to show more of the story. Photographing a person talking to a microphone or showing a person's back while she's talking to a crowd can be boring; however, if you show a profile view of the speaker, you can include interesting details in the photos. Choose a lens wide enough to include the speaker and at least the first few rows of the audience, using a perspective where you can see facial expressions on both sides. In person, you can only view one thing at a time and would either catch the speaker's delivery or the audience's reaction, but a photograph enables you to record both of these by selecting the appropriate angle.
Many photographers would place the speaker in one of the frame's thirds (see Chapter 5). Doing so ensures that the speaker is the main subject and provides the viewer with some idea of her importance. Plus, according to the rule of thirds, this placement of the subject makes for an aesthetically pleasing composition. However, keep in mind that although this placement can be a good idea, it isn't always necessary or possible.
Assume, for example, you have the subject on the left third of a horizontal frame and a row or two of the audience on the right side of the frame. With this composition, you're saying that the speaker is the main subject and the members in the audience are just details. Chances are the space on the far left of your frame (beyond the left third) isn't filled with important details and is being wasted. Try angling your camera more to the right, placing the speaker on the far left edge. Now the audience has a stronger presence in the frame. The speaker has become less important and now has to compete with the audience for the viewer's attention. This could cause tension, irony, or harmony, depending on the interplay between the audience and the speaker. You could go from having a fairly boring image to having an image that tells the whole story.
You also may try setting the focus on one of the unexpected heroes in the audience who's having a strong reaction to the speaker's presentation. Doing so would show a different side to the story and could be more interesting than the expected shot where the speaker is sharp. Changing focus gives the slight illusion of changing perspective, but it's best known for directly telling a viewer exactly where to look in a photograph.
Another time when I often choose to place a subject on the edge of a frame is when the subject is in motion. If a surfer is riding the face of a wave in a photograph, I like to see what he's coming up against rather than seeing the water he's already covered. You could accomplish this by using the rule of thirds, but instead why not try placing the surfer on the edge of the frame? Doing so gives a moving subject space to move into the frame.
Keep two things in mind when you place a subject on the outer edges of the frame (especially when using a wide-angle lens):
Keep your subject in focus. If you're using the camera's auto focus, be sure to have a thorough understanding of how it's controlled, because most cameras don't allow you to simply focus on the far edges of the frame. (Chapter 3 tells you about your camera's settings.)
Avoid (or be ready to correct) distortion. When you use a wide-angle lens and place subjects on the edge of your frame, you get
For instance, a soda can photographed with a normal lens appears cylindrical. If you photograph the same can with a wide-angle lens, it would take the shape of a wooden barrel (having a fat center compared to the top and bottom). The closer the lens gets to the can, the more the can begins to appear that it has the shape of a barrel. Distortion becomes worse toward the edges of the frame.
Placing the subject in the top or bottom of the frame
Having a foreground, subject, and background is a good way to create the illusion of depth in a photograph. This formula works great in doing its job, but it doesn't always have to be configured in the traditional sense; in other
words, you don't always have to put the subject in the middle. In fact, the subject could become more interesting when it fills the space of the foreground or the background. Let some other elements fill the midground, and then set up your subject to be as subtle or obvious as you like.
When you take a high angle and place your subject in the foreground or background, you take a risk similar to placing the subject at the edge of the frame. The statement is bold and works for more tense messages, but could potentially throw off the balance of your composition. You have to make sure that you draw the viewer to the subject. The viewer's eyes can wander farther from a subject at the bottom or top of the frame, so they may need extra instruction to come back. Lines that lead to the subject usually bring the viewer back to that area of interest.
Check out Figure 8–6; the lines created by the elements in the photo direct your eyes to the girl in the background. In Figure 8–7, on the other hand, the subject is in the foreground; this placement is blatant and provides an easy read.
Figure 8–6: A subject placed in the background.
Sometimes you place a subject in the bottom or top of a frame simply because it makes sense. If you want to emphasize the greatness of the sky or the size of a tree, for example, putting the subject in the bottom of the frame
may be wise. Cropping someone at the bottom of a frame tends to say as much or more about the environment as the subject. Or, if a flag is staked at the top of a tall mountain, you could place it at the top of the frame to show the size of the mountain compared to the flag itself and to represent the great feat of getting the flag there. Placing a subject at the top of a frame also could give it room to fall or roll down, or the arrangement may show that it has been thrown and has reached its peak.
Figure 8–7: A subject placed in the foreground.
You have the same concerns with focus and distortion when you photograph a subject on the top and bottom of a frame as you do when photographing a subject on the outside edges. You need to be familiar with your camera's auto focus controls in order to use it on subjects that are placed outside of the sensors. And remember that if you use a wide-angle lens, any element that nears the edge of the frame will be distorted. Check out the earlier section 'Putting the subject off center' for more details.
Changing your camera's orientation
When you turn your camera sideways, the orientation of the frame goes from horizontal to vertical. Deciding on the orientation is important for choosing and creating the appropriate composition in any given scenario.
Both vertical and horizontal crops have their time and place, but sometimes neither is quite right for the message you want to depict. In these cases, you may want to take a photo with a crooked orientation. For me, a horizon looks best in photographs when it's straight, but if you're going to make it crooked you may as well go all the way with it. Instead of turning your camera the full 90 degrees, try somewhere around 45 degrees — what
