Originally posted by Pingupingu:
These rules are for us, poors pictures catchers.
I think that Art (with a big A) , consist precisely to not respect this rules ( or at least not all of them ).
But to well contraverse this rules, you have know how to well apply them. |
Mostly these rules have come about by people looking at Art and working out what was effective and then using that in composition and so on, feeding on itself.
If you walk around a gallery you'll find the standard compositional techniques used a great deal. The secret is to know what certain placements actually mean visually, and then use them effectively.
E.g, the standard don't put something in the middle of the composition because it is static and dominates the shot is good as a general rule of thumb.
But what you should really take from that is that objects centered in the frame are static and dominate the composition. If you really want that feel in your picture, put the main subject in the middle. If you don't, put it somewhere else.
A similar typical comment is that people/ animals/ cars etc that are moving should face into the center of the frame, and have plenty of room to move.
The underlying concept here is that if someone is looking into the frame or has room to move, you feel that they are not cramped or looking at something you can't see. If you want to imply that they are cramped or looking away, then the opposite is what you want, have them looking out of the frame or moving up to the edge of the frame.
The point is, the standard rules of thumb for composition all have solid visual meanings attached to them. It is better to understand the underlying concept then you can make an informed choice on how to use a particular piece of visual language effectively, rather than just always placing things where you've read they should go, without understanding what it means to do it, or not do it.
Walking around art galleries and breaking down what works and doesn't work in a painting or photograph can be really instructive.
Message edited by author 2003-02-06 10:27:42. |
