In Figure 13-5, each person in the photograph has his or her own space in the frame and is placed comfortably in front of the background.
Pay attention to how the subjects interact with each other and the supporting elements of the scene.
Nobody's face should ever intersect with anyone else's, and each person should be represented in a clear and pleasant fashion. The shape of each person's head should be clearly identifiable. Also be sure to avoid merging lines, which I discuss in Chapter 9.
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Figure 13-5: Good composition applies to everyone in a group photograph.
Fabulous Darting, you're Gorgeous: Shooting Fashion Photography
In fashion photography, the main goal is to sell clothing, so you have to make the wardrobe look great. But, of course, that effort would be in vain if the model didn't look so hot. When you're shooting fashion, your client wants the model to look good in the photographs because that model represents what the wardrobe is supposed to look like on the people who are viewing the images. If the model looks bad, viewers may make a negative association to the clothing.
Going beyond the ordinary snapshot: Conceptual photography
Portraiture and fashion photography aren't the only reasons you may photograph people. For a school project, for example, a teacher had my class photograph a portrait of a loved one. The catch was that the person couldn't be in the shot. The goal was to show the essence of a person without showing that person. By placing objects in the scene and creating a mood through light, tonality, color, and perspective, we were expected to reveal the essence of someone. If you reverse that scenario, a person also can be usedto revealthe essence of something else.
This type of photography is referred to as
Fashion photographers often shoot from a low angle in relation to the subject. Doing so emphasizes the clothing and emulates the look of the runway. But when you shoot from a low angle, you invite viewers to look up the model's nostrils and under her chin. Fashion photographers often direct a model to put her chin down to eliminate this problem. Most models are thin and have strong chins, so when they put their chins down their face maintains an appealing shape. However, each subject is different. So if you're not pleased with the way someone looks from a low angle with her chin down, she won't be either. In that case, find a different angle that better suits your model.
The message in fashion photography usually depends on the wardrobe and the intended market. You use different lighting styles, locations, and concepts based on what you're shooting. A clothing line that's designed to be sold in surf shops to teenage girls most likely will have natural, soft light that makes the models look beautiful, and your location and concept could represent a carefree environment. You may want to capture candid moments of your models laughing and holding hands or rolling in the sand. On the contrary, you'd likely photograph a line of elegant evening attire with dramatic lighting in the studio or in a ritzy hotel. (See Chapter 10 for more on lighting.)
In fashion photography, you can shoot clean portrait-like images of models, or you can opt for action- lifestyle images. Either way, you're selling the clothes. One method sells them by putting them on display, and the other method sells them by showing how they make someone feel. Both methods work and can be justified in most scenarios. As long as the photography and the compositions are great, the images work.
Figures 13-6 and 13-7 show two examples of fashion photography. One shows clothing that's designed for a special occasion (referred to as
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Figure 13-6: This dress is artistic and dramatic, so the photograph was composed to be artistic and dramatic as well.
When you shoot high-fashion pieces (like the blue dress in Figure 13-6) you can create compositions that are all about the clothes. Have your model pose in dramatic ways to emphasize the wardrobe. Unlike lifestyle fashion, high fashion usually is detached from real life, so drama is appropriate and expected.
I created Figure 13-7 to highlight functional, everyday attire. I photographed the model in a more casual and realistic composition based on my message to highlight a recognizable moment in everyday life. His pose is natural and his expression is inviting. The lighting is less dramatic and the background is commonplace. You're more likely to see someone sitting like this in real life than to see someone posing like the model in Figure 13-6.
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Figure 13-7: This wardrobe is designed for everyday living and is represented in a casual composition.
Chapter 14. In Nature: Landscapes and Wildlife
Considering composition in nature photography
Photographing wildlife
Respecting nature and protecting yourself and your equipment
Experimenting with photography in a forest setting
Nature provides settings that offer limitless opportunities for creating beautiful, peaceful, meaningful, sublime, surreal, or tragic photographs. Putting yourself in situations that are relevant to the photo you want to capture assures that you're there when the moon rises over the mountains, the forest fills with morning mist, the storm begins to form in the distance, or the eggs hatch and the baby turtles begin to race toward the sea.
The natural world offers all these wonderful photo opportunities, but it also provides some special challenges that you must consider to get the photo you seek. For example, you must understand composition in context of a natural setting. You also need to consider how to best capture a photo of an awesome, yet dangerous creature (or one that's harmless but skittish around humans). Finally, lighting can be an issue in certain settings, such as in a shadowy forest or on a sunny beach or desert. In the following sections, I offer tips to help you with all these challenges.
