Adventures · Inspiration

My thoughts on photography composition

For the longest time, I struggled with composition.  I guess, in a way, I still do.  I’ve been green with envy of photographers who just get composition.

It is easy now for me to grab my camera each moment I think I see something interesting.

Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t.  I was looking out the window and saw a monarch butterfly land in the yard.  Even with my zoom lens…not a great shot.  I never give up trying though.

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I have more fun when I throw on my garden boots, walk out the door and see what I can find in the gardens.  Where the flowers have taken their own paths to overcome any framed obstacles.

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My eyes see the glory of scenes, but my camera, well…it takes things in differently than I do.

Like the sky this morning.  I loved the contrail lines from airplanes floating across the sky in contrast with the power lines.  My first shot was meh…

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I reframed it and I liked it better.

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Even better by going vertical with the contrails, that makes the shot more interesting.

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Then I looked at my Blackeyed-Susans.  Such lively flowers.  They have been blooming all August.  I’ll be sad to see them go.

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Straight on, they look like they’ve taken over the flower bed.  Duh…they have.

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That’s pretty, but a boring composition to me, too busy.  So I tried a sideways view with the fence in the background to add some other points of interest besides just the flowers.  I like the third photo the best.

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Looking closer at the shot in review mode, I noticed the thing that was interesting in those shots – it was the bug(s).

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I found his friend in other shots, too.

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Squared up, he looks like quite the handsome bug hanging out on the leaves, eh?

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I also found a little greenish worm.

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That’s a good shot to frame as a square.  The focus in the center of the photo makes it easy to do so.

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Then I took some shots holding the camera under the flowers to see what that would look like.  Interesting, but I had to tell you that I did so, right?

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My favorite shots ended up being when I looked down to see the flower resting on the rocks.  That’s interesting.

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Focus on the flower.

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Focus on the rocks, with the flower as a subtle background.

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Or my favorite photo today – the one I didn’t know I caught until reviewing the photos.

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Post Inspiration – AugustBreak2019 – Green and Amy’s prompt for Lens-Artists #60 – Framing the Shot

PS – What are your tricks for framing the shots?  Which photos above do you like best?  Do you play with your camera too? 

 

 

 

 

 

40 thoughts on “My thoughts on photography composition

    1. I appreciate your feedback – it is cool to know that different compositions touch people in unique ways. Another reason it is hard to master.

  1. A lovely, experimental post! And I do believe that is the way to go – experiment until you are satisfied. My favorite is the same as yours, flowers in the rocks. Why? Because of the thin, black lining from the left side of the rocks, holding them. And the squares are always a hit – getting almost the whole frame filled with the flower. Well done!

    1. Thank you, Ann-Christine. I appreciate your feedback. Your selection of photos for today are inspiring to me, your composition is exquisite.

      1. Thank you so much, Shelley – you are always delightfully musing as well. I appreciate the talks and exchanges!

  2. I like the underside photo of the Susan’s best. Take as many photos per day as you can, practice! Your recent macro photos are wonderful Shelley!

    1. I appreciate your feedback, John. I like that you enjoyed the underside photos best. I try to grab my camera daily, it’s like a small dose of happy therapy for me. Thank you for your encouragement, all of your photos inspire me!

  3. Trying different framings and different crops can be so much fun! I like your last one and the one taken from underneath the best. Happy Sunday!

    1. I agree – it keeps photography interesting and challenging. Thank you for your votes, I appreciate your feedback! Happy Sunday to you too!

  4. Beautiful flower collections, Shelley! Thank you for showing us how to frame and re-frame these images. I really have learned a good photography lesson here. Enjoy your photos, as always.

  5. It’s something I am also trying to work on more – stopping to consider, trying a shot, then considering and trying a different angle, etc. I actually really like your under the flower pictures – nice angle, and good use of the light.

    1. I find it fun! Thank you for your feedback – I appreciate hearing what you enjoyed about the photo. 🙂 Hope it’s not raining the next time you head out to get some photos!

  6. A fun overview of your process Shelley. You’re right, the best exercise is exactly what you did, then reviewing and seeing what works best. For me, I like the shots with the fence – it adds a nice texture. The fun thing about photography is the way different people react to different images.

    1. Thank you, Tina. I appreciate your feedback and your advice on what works. I agree – all the different reactions are fascinating. Thank you for stopping by to check out my post! Your posts contained valuable lessons and beautiful examples to go with the quotes. I adore Bridgwood’s quote. Your photo with the purple lupines leading the eye into the photo was my favorite. You definitely have a gift for composition!

  7. Wow. So many great choices. Love the pail and shoes. The bugs and flowers too. So many thing to look at. Great commentary. :thumbsup:

  8. My theory is if the subject matter inspires you, it will it spire others. Sometimes others see something you never saw. For instance, i liked the horizontal lines created by the wires when you were photographing the vertical contrails. Everyone has an artist eye of what speaks to them and if we don’t share what speaks top us, then someone will miss out. And I personally like your style. :0)

    1. Aw, Anita, well said and thank you! I appreciate your take on the world and what inspires us as individuals. I like your style, too, by the way! xx

  9. Such a wonderful post Shelley 🙂 So many different ways to view the same scene. Of course I love the insects 🙂

  10. Black eyed susans are my favorite flower, so I enjoyed all of these. The one you think is boring is interesting to me, because I feel like I’m in a forest of my favorite flowers.

    1. Aw, that’s a lovely interpretation of the photos. I’m glad you enjoyed the walk through my tiny forest of these flowers!

  11. Loved reading about your photographic process and seeing the different results. I also loved the bent flower touching the rock bed. Sometimes photos bring out the viewer’s emotions and this one did for me. A sadness that the beauty of summer is ending. I find the joy of photography is helping one see how to frame a moment in unique ways. 🙂

    1. Thank you, Olga, I appreciate your feedback. I like your description of what the bent flower means, it’s true. Your take on photography is so heart-warming – your photos this week are excellent examples of framing and your leading lines/composition is exquisite! Nice job!

  12. Very nice shots of the Black-eyed Susans that never disappoint, always perky and always great for taking photos of them. I never thought to crawl underneath the flowers – probably that’s because I’d never get back up again. The shots against the stones really shows off their vibrant colors. I miss them – they were in one entire part of the yard and just reseeded and grew more and looked beautiful. I used to take them to work in a vase all August or bring some in a nosegay vase to put on the windowsill.

  13. Looks like my comment went into cyberspace for some reason. I like how the Black-eyed Susans look – they never disappoint. Always perky and sunny looking and yours look good against the gravel too – makes then seem even brighter. When I still had my Susans in the garden, I’d take bouquets to work all August and cut them down and make a nosegay vase for the windowsill so my mom could enjoy them too.

    1. I’m not sure why your comments are flagged for approval?! I rescued both of them – I appreciate your feedback! Darn WordPress comment holding station!

    1. Thank you, I appreciate your feedback. I enjoyed your post on how you take your RAW photos and edit them for stunning shots!

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