FERLYN N. REBIBIS 10 – ST.

LORENZO RUIZ

PHOTOGRAPHY TECHNIQUES
Rule of Thirds
The basic principle behind the rule of thirds is to
imagine breaking an image down into thirds (both
horizontally and vertically) so that you have 9 parts.
As you’re taking an image you would have done this
in your mind through your viewfinder or in the LCD
display that you use to frame your shot. With this grid
in mind the ‘rule of thirds’ now identifies four
important parts of the image that you should consider
placing points of interest in as you frame your
image. Not only this but it also gives you four ‘lines’
that are also useful positions for elements in your photo. The theory is that if you place points of interest
in the intersections or along the lines that your photo becomes more balanced and will enable a viewer of
the image to interact with it more naturally.

Leading Lines

Leading lines are used to draw the viewer’s eye

through a photograph. When we look at a photo our
eye is naturally drawn along lines. By
thinking about how you place lines in your
composition, you can affect the way we view the
image, pulling us into the picture, towards the
subject, or on a journey "through" the scene. There
are many different types of line - straight, diagonal,
curvy, zigzag, radial etc - and each can be used to
enhance our photo's composition.

Unique Views

A bird's-eye view is a view of an object from above, with a

perspective as though the observer were a bird. You can stand on
a chair or ladder, get above your subject.

A worm's-eye view is a view of an object from below, as though

the observer were a worm. You can get down on the ground.
Framing
Most of us use ‘frames’ to display our images when
we hang them on walls for viewing however ‘framing’
can be used within the composition of a shot to help you
highlight your main point of interest in the image and
and/or to put it in context to give the image ‘depth’.
Framing can draw the eye of the viewer of an interest to
a particular part of the scene.

Figure to Ground
Contrast is one of the powerful tools at your disposal
when it comes to photography composition
techniques. We tend to notice things that contrast in fact,
it's one of the main ideas in Gestalt psychology. By
creating contrast between your subject and the
background, you can create depth, as well as help your
viewer orient the subjects within the space. It can also be
done with depth of field. If you put one plane in sharp
focus and let the rest fall off, suddenly your image
composition will have a dramatic effect.

Center Dominant Eye

By positioning the dominant eye of your character in the
center of the frame, it gives the illusion that it is
following you. This is another photography composition
technique. Centering an image is a very useful tool when
it comes to portraiture.

Patterns & Repetition

Humans are naturally attracted to patterns. I guess we
don't like, or can't easily make sense of, chaos. So, using
repetition will immediately attract your viewer to your
image, but including an element that breaks the pattern
will keep your images interesting and your audience
engaged.
Symmetry
In the same way we love patterns, symmetry for our
eyes is like Nutella for our taste buds. Tests have
proven that those with symmetrical faces are
considered to be more attractive while those with
asymmetrical faces are considered less so. There
have even been studies that reveal that babies will
stare longer at symmetrical pictures than they will at
asymmetrical ones. Balance in the frame creates a
sense of peace, contrast and imbalance will create a
sense of chaos. You can use this to your advantage
when setting up your compositions.

Panoramic

Even if you don’t have an expensive camera,

you can capture panoramic photographs through
a technique known as “panorama stitching”.
This technique involves using a tripod and
taking a series of side-by-side photographs and
merging them together later on.

Motion Blur

Motion blur is the art of capturing a moving

subject. This technique is often used in sports
photography but can also be used to create
interesting images with light or fast-moving
objects. To effectively capture motion blur, slow
down your shutter speed, and hold your camera still
as your subject moves. You can also “pan” with the
camera, moving it along to follow the subject
before releasing the shutter. This will keep your
subject in focus while blurring out the background.