Small changes in your images can have big effect. That is why you should compose carefully.

Preferably when shooting, but often enough you can also do this in post-production.  You can:

• Crop to remove elements that should not be in the image.
• Crop to achieve symmetry.
• Crop to achieve the rule of thirds.
• Tilt for all the above as well.
• Or change your camera orientation.
• Or zoom in/out. All for the same reasons: to get a good composition.

Take this image, taken by a student:

Yeah I look tired: let’s blame the light (this was deliberately harsh, with direct flash).

But let’s crop to use the Rule of Thirds, and also let’s use a quick healing tool to remove the stuff on the left (done quickly for the purposes of this demo):

If I had had time I would have removed the light switch also, of course. Preferably when shooting, by hiding it behind the person.

Or look at this image before/after:

Wonderful couple, but a slight tilt to the left makes it (and the couple) more even, a better composition:

And finally this Uncle Fred shot:

Which when I turn the camera becomes an Uncle Mike shot:

Tip of the day: You should always feel free to tilt, and to chance your point of view, for more exciting photos.

Here’s a tilt, an looking up, yesterday afternoon in downtown Oakville:

I tilted to simplify, and to get the top into the corner of the photo symmetrically.

Here’s a street in Oakville, normal point of view:

And the same street tilted and low to the ground:

Much different. Go and tilt and choose viewpoints today.

This, taken at a School of Imaging workshop I taught the other day, is a snapshot of a volunteer the way Uncle Fred takes them:

What is wrong here? Well if this is meant to be a portrait of the lady looking at us, rather a lot:

• The subject is in the middle
• Uncle Fred shoots horizontal only
• Uncle Fred shoots from 5.5′ above the ground only

Instead of doing this, try to turn the camera 90 degrees, get close, shoot from teh subject’s level. You now get:

Simple, no?

A 50mm prime lens (a “fixed” length lens) will make this way. And note, I shot that at 3200 ISO in a dimly lit classroom. Yes, it can be done.

Remember, everyone: use off-centre composition often. Like in these portraits, where I am using the rule of thirds, roughly:

Richard Dawkins (Photo: Michael Willems)

MUA (Photo: Michael Willems)

Kim in a mirror (Photo: Michael Willems)

In all of these, I am using the Rule of Thirds to create a visually pleasing composition. (And do you like the reflections in the latter two shots?)

Remember:

• If your subject is in the middle, dead centre, you must have a good reason for this.
• In the absence of such a reason, place your subject off-centre
• Have any “motion” (eg where your eye is drawn because this is the direction the subject is looking in) happen towards the centre!

The rules are just guidelines – but again, use them if you have no specific reason not to.

And in doubt: shoot two, and select your favourite later.

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I did a family shoot this weekend: what a wonderful family of engineers. Great people:

How do you do this?

• Emptied the room.
• Lit by three speedlights: one bounced, one umbrella’d, and one gelled and flagged, using Honl Photo modifiers.
• Fired by Pocketwizards.
• The families are sitting, standing, leaning.
• Tallest people sit.
• People angled.
• Grouped in pyramids and triangles.
• Settings match ambient light to flash: 1/60 sec at f / 5.6, ISO 250.

…and then you take 50 shots, since four boys are not always easy to shoot – it takes a little effort to get them all to look at the camera!

Remember – a very very quick tip today – that when you shoot one or two people, it’s often best to shoot vertical. Turn your camera a quarter turn – shutter above, not below – and fill the frame, and get close.

Regular programming will commence soon!