Let's start at the beginning.
Rule 1: The Golden Rule What is the golden ratio in photography ?
Golden rectangle and Fibonacci spiral.
Also called Fibonacci spiral, Phi grid, divine proportion or golden spiral, the golden ratio is used in photography to proportion the image in order to effectively guide the viewer's gaze through the photo. The composition then appears more pleasant and balanced. A symbol of harmony and universal beauty, this technique did not appear with photography, but has been used for thousands of years by architects and painters. The great pyramid of Cheops is built from this golden number. Many works of art such as the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci or the Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli also respect this golden ratio.
Specifically, the photo formats that meet the rule of the golden ratio photo are: 13x21 cm, 18x30 cm and 24x39 cm (mostly photo formats close to the standards of photography).
This results in the rule of thirds, which must be used for its photo framing.
Rule N°2 : Thirds and framing
What is the rule of thirds ?
It is the ideal proportion in photography. This proportion is 1 third for 2 thirds. It is therefore not advisable to frame your subject in the center of the photo, to avoid a bland or lifeless rendering that will not attract people's eyes.
It is therefore necessary to place the subject in the third of the viewfinder for a more vivid rendering of your photo prints!
On your cameras, you can activate this grid and, depending on the camera, you have an additional option with diagonals that are designed for video.
Here is an example of a good and bad framing:
In order to make a portrait, the intersections between the 4 drawn guidelines must bring out the important points of your picture in order to have a pleasant vision.
In fact, these axes will attract our eye. It is therefore recommended to place one of your axes of the grid on the eye of your model.
On the famous painting of La Laitière, the rule of thirds is on the other hand in the hollow of the shoulder, in order to avoid that the eye is attracted by the window which gives the lighting to this scene.
La Laitière is an oil painting on canvas measuring 45.5 × 41 cm, made by Johannes Vermeer, known as "Vermeer of Delft" around 1658, and exhibited since 1908 at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
On the other hand, you should avoid placing an object of little importance on one of these strategic points, it will be bad for the reading of the photo.
Here is an example of two photos respecting the rule of thirds:
Finally, if you want to retouch your photos or make a photo montage, the golden rule and the rule of thirds also apply, especially if you re-frame your photo. I advise you to place objects, people, animals... in such a way as to create an image that will attract the eye, but also give harmony to your creation.
Rule N°3 : The light
Do I need a flash to take beautiful pictures ?
At first, the flash is not necessary, observe and play with the light. This is the basis of photography. The more you master the management of light, the easier it will be to take pictures in places lacking light or flooded with light; and the more you will know how to handle and tame your camera. A well-exposed photo is one that receives the right amount of light so that it is neither overexposed (too bright) nor underexposed (too dark).
To measure the amount of light, your camera has a metering module. This is the small scale you can see in your viewfinder or on your screen, see below.
This scale measures the intensity of the light coming into your camera and the intensity of the scene you are going to shoot. It allows you to calculate three things :
The ISO (50,100,200, 5000...)
The aperture (if you want a blurred or sharp background)
The exposure time to adopt (The shutter speed) depending on whether your scene is still or moving.
Here is what the numbers mean on this scale.
It should be noted that this measurement tool can sometimes be wrong, because many parameters come into play. In addition, you should also test with a sample photo to see if you need to be under-exposed or over-exposed. The best exposure is in the center (=0).
Rule N°4 : The lines
How to give depth to my photos ?
When we look at a photo, our eye naturally tends to follow the lines.
By judiciously placing these lines in your frame, you can lead the eye to the highlights of the image. There are several types of lines: horizontal, vertical, diagonal or curved. Each of these can be used to enhance the composition of your photos.
Below are examples of how to use lines to guide the eye and add depth to the image.
Nikon D300, Sigma 24-70mm F2.8. lens and Tamron 24-70mm F2.8
Rule N°5 : The angle of view
How to choose the angle of view ?
Take the time to choose the place from which you want to capture the photo.
The point of view has consequences on the composition, it can influence the message that transmits an image. Don't hesitate to vary the points of view to obtain original shots: photograph your subject from a high point, at ground level, from the front, from the back, from the side, from near, from far, etc.
In the photo below, I positioned myself in the middle, behind tall grass, with the lens at a low height. With this point of view, I draw people's eyes to the landscape in the background to give more strength to the composition. The eye is not immediately drawn to the subject, unless you follow the barrel of the gun.
Nikon D300, Sigma 24-70 mm F2.8 lens.
Settings: focal length: 17mm aperture: F2.8 shutter speed: 1/4000 ISO: 100
Rule N°6 : Depth of field (focal length ƒ)
How to choose the focal length ?
The depth of field has an impact and a usefulness on the composition of photos. A shallow depth of field isolates the subject from the background (crowd, nature, environment, etc.). Conversely, a large depth of field puts the subject in context by showing everything that surrounds it. (crowd, nature, environment, etc.).
Here are the different depths of field that vary according to the range of lenses.
In the photo below, a shallow depth of field allowed me to isolate the model from the background. The eye naturally falls on the subject because it is the only element of my photo that is in focus.
Canon 5D Mark II, Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM lens
Settings: focal length: 73mm aperture: F2.8 shutter speed: 1/800 ISO: 100
I hope you will enjoy this article. Feel free to leave a comment or share this article. In a future post, I will talk about other composition rules to know, but, first things first.
See you soon!