IOP – Cracking composition

This article contains my notes for the IOP course.

  • Keep things simple, make the subject the centre of attention.
  • One of the most useful options at your disposal is being able to switch the frame between horizontal and vertical.
  • Lines
    • Horizontal lines can increase a sense of horizontal movement.
    • Vertical lines can produce very strong images and convey power, strength and growth.
    • Diagonal lines can be used to great effect to draw the viewers eyes through the image, creating movement and dynamism.
  • Eyes see square images as most static, so frame the subject correctly, i.e. for a fast moving car use a horizontal frame.
  • Rule of thirds, basically break the image down into 3 rows of 3, creating a grid that allows you to align the subject correctly.
  • Lines are important, there are three types, horizontal, vertical and diagonal.
  • Balance
    • Formal balance is a image with symmetry, so if you were to hold it in half it would look similar on both sides.
    • Informal balance is using an object that has is different to the original subject on one or more sides of the image.
  • Perspective
    • Used to give images a different feeling or to emphasis strength or even weakness of the subject.
    • Forced perspective is when you use perspective to make the subject or object in shot appear larger, small or appear in a different way that in natural.