Advertisement
Advertisement
Read Next

Curating Your Images Will Improve Your Photography. Here’s How
Curating your images well is a critical...
Watch What You Photograph!
Watch what you photograph! Here's why...
Close Encounter With Bear Gives Photographer A Jolt (& A Great Image)
Ever stumbled across an animal...
5 Ways to Create Stunning Photos Using New Angles
Even a small change in perspective can...Advertisement
Featured Articles

Read More
The Surfing Life
How a lifelong love and respect for the ocean inspires my photography.

Read More
Choosing A Tripod For Your Style Of Photography
Contrary to what you might have heard, you do not need a tripod that can’t be moved without a forklift. Here's what to consider when choosing a tripod and head.

Read More
Ends Of The Earth
Paul Nicklen on his career in conservation photography, climate change in the polar regions and his new book, Born To Ice, celebrating those ecosystems and their inhabitants.

Read More
The Bridge To Black & White
Creative considerations for making black-and-white images from color files.

Read More
How To Photograph The Milky Way
Panoramas are one of the most fun and dramatic ways of capturing the Milky Way.

Read More
Be A Wildlife Biographer
My discovery of wildlife photography felt like a fulfillment of that lifelong affinity and fascination for animals.
This is the 1st of your 3 free articles
Become a member for unlimited website access and more.
FREE TRIAL Available!
Learn More
Already a member? Sign in to continue reading
The Space Between
Pecan Grove, California, 2015. Sony a7R II, Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G SSM. Exposure: 1/2 sec., ƒ/22, ISO 100.
The natural world is visual chaos. Plants grow, rivers flow, rocks roll and clouds float along with no regard to where landscape photographers place their cameras. While light is a critical element for a great photograph, so is its design. How lines, shapes and forms relate to each other and where graphic elements fit in your frame are equally important. Camera position matters.
I love the process of designing photographs. Once I discover an inspirational subject or light, the graphic designer in me kicks in. I ask myself what I am trying to say with the image and how the image design can bring out the mood or emotion I wish to convey. Are there key elements that merge or clash, causing confusion? Are there unimportant objects that I could crop out? Can I move my camera position to create spacing between objects that makes the image more balanced or cleaner with less distraction?
Students who work with me in the field soon find out what difference a few inches left or right, up or down, can make in their compositions. It is not so much that there is one perfect spot for any image but more about how closely you pay attention. It is all in the footwork, like a dancer or athlete. Look around the edges of the frame and the spaces between and behind your subject.
In my photograph of a pecan grove, the graphic design is obvious when you look at the finished photograph. What you don’t see is the process of getting there. A slight move left or right changed the relationship of every tree. I slowly moved the camera until each tree separated from each other and showed as many trees as possible. That many relationships usually can’t be perfectly aligned, nor would you want to, but in this case, the effect conveys more density and a certain symmetry. The dense fog simplifies the tree trunk graphics.
Bridalveil Fall and Maple Leaves, Yosemite National Park, California, 2016. Sony a7R II, Sony E PZ 18-105mm f/4 G OSS. Exposure: 1/640 sec., ƒ/16, ISO 400.
My photograph of Bridal Veil Fall in Yosemite is another example of how spacing and camera position make a big difference. I was walking up to the base of the fall with family visiting from Canada. I wasn’t planning on photographing seriously but had brought my camera along. However, I did time this short walk for my favored lighting conditions. The fresh green of the maple leaves glowed against the dark granite wall, and the waterfall itself danced wildly in the wind.
I spent just a few minutes with this composition, at first focusing on the leaves and branches. After taking a few frames, I started “the dance.” I maneuvered around on the crowded trail, watching for a balance of key elements. Just before racing off to catch up with my guests, I found one spot where the top of the falls was visible and the spray blew to the left, framing itself perfectly between maple branches. This photo was a “grab” shot in terms of time, but my experience and training helped me to quickly find and refine the image in a rushed and crowded situation.
The lesson of the day: Learn to watch all the elements in your frame, not just the main subject. See how they relate to each other, look for “mergers” where key objects such the trees merge, distract or minimize other graphic elements. Develop the habit of not accepting the first option when you set up your compositions. Always push for better ones. When you take the time to edit the results carefully, you will get critical feedback on your successes and failures. The more you repeat this feedback loop of capturing images then learning what works or not, the more this process will help you learn to trust your own design instincts. Your photographs will be stronger in finding some order to the chaos. Enjoy the dance!
William Neill