1.4: Form and Composition
- Page ID
- 231817
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)It is a good idea to keep form and composition in mind when getting ready to take a photograph of your subject. As you approach your subject with your camera and frame the image in the viewfinder, consider the form and composition of your subject to create the most visually interesting photographs. Form (elements of design) refers to the physical parts or visual components of a work, including line, shape, mass/volume, perspective, texture, and color. Composition (principles of design) refers to the ways the design elements are arranged to produce a specific effect. When taking a photograph, the camera becomes an extension of your eye. You use the camera frame to compose the image, choosing the design elements to include and exclude in the frame. When framing your subject, consider the design elements in your view finder that can help to create the most dynamic composition.
One way to approach composition is to consider how the subject occupies the foreground, middle ground, and background of the image. Composing a picture with attention to these layers of composition and their relationship to each other can add visual interest to the image. To understand foreground, middle ground, and background, horizontally divide your photograph into three sections.
Image Description: Photograph of a wide desert landscape with a dry, brownish-gray floor scattered with low shrubs and grasses. Near the bottom center foreground, a cluster of small yellow flowers on slender stems stands out against. In the middle ground, there are saguaro cacti and rocks. The background features a distant mountain range against a clear blue sky.
The foreground is the bottom layer, which appears closest to the photographer. In the image above, the foreground contains the yellow flowers in the bottom left corner.
The middle ground is the layer of the image that sits on top of the foreground and appears to be farther away from the photographer. The middle ground of this image includes the saguaro cacti.
The background is the top layer of the image, above the middle ground, which appears farthest away from the photographer. In this image, the background is the mountains and sky. The background offers important context to the image and can be in focus or blurred depending of the choice of aperture.
Two other important compositional methods for photographers are the rule of thirds and the golden ratio. The rule of thirds refers to the placement of the subject at the intersection of the imaginary horizontal and vertical lines that divide the image into three parts. The rule of thirds can be visually constructed through the placement of subjects across the foreground, middle ground, and background of an image as seen in the image below.
Image Description: Close-up color photograph of a yellow sunflower with green leaves in front of a wire fence. The fence divides the image into a grid with the sunflower in the line dividing the right third of the image.
The golden ratio is the relationship of parts achieved when the longer part divided by the smaller part is also equal to the whole length divided by the longer part. It is thought to provide the most harmonious and visually pleasing proportions in art and architecture.
Image Description: Black and white photograph that highlights the spiral shape of the nautilus shell by adding a golden rectangle overlay.
Reference
Sachant, Pamela; Blood, Peggy; LeMieux, Jeffery; and Tekippe, Rita, "Introduction to Art: Design, Context, and Meaning" (2016). Fine Arts Open Textbooks. 3.
https://oer.galileo.usg.edu/arts-textbooks/3. Used under the Creative Commons attribution share alike license.