Welcome, this weeks post is on photography. I must admit that when it comes to taking a photo, I’m a point and shoot person. This week I learned some of the different techniques that one can use to draw the viewer into the picture and capture their attention. The three techniques that are being used in this post are; rule of thirds, leading lines, and depth of field.
The professional photo’s, not mine, came off of the search engine, Google. My pictures, well two of them are from LegoLand California, and the other is a photo I took the other day, outside work, just as the sun was coming up over the hills.
Rule of thirds
This is a truly amazing photo and it caught my eye for more than one reason. First you see this brilliance of color contrasting with a back lit tree, on the end of what looks like a peninsula. At first this photo boggles the mind as you try and figure out what it is, then you see the reflection of the tree in the water, then it hits you. This photo was found on Google and if you view the page it will take you to a site called shutter stock. The artist of this photo is Pavel Klimenko.
Rule of thirds is simply that, dividing a photo into thirds both horizontally and vertically. Your key focal point of the picture is then positioned where the vertical and horizontal lines meet, giving the picture more energy and interest. As you can see in this image the tree is the focal point of this picture. When you divide the picture into thirds, it falls in the upper right corner where the lines meet. If you look at the reflection of the tree, it too falls where the two lines meet, in the lower right corner.
Believe it or not, this is all made of Lego’s, that is all but the trees. This is the entrance to the aquarium at LegoLand California.
This is another good example of rule of thirds. The main focal point, the scuba diver, is positioned on the intersecting lines, both lower and upper left. The sign is also placed in the upper right where the lines intersect. Both the scuba diver and the sign are brought to the front, where as the rest of the image falls to the back.
Leading Lines
I love images of the desert with a dramatic back drop, be it thunderstorms, sunrise, or sunset. The contrast of the colors are eye catching, doesn’t this make you feel like you are driving down a deserted road? This photo pulls you in, you can almost feel the speed of the car. You see the sun on the pavement ahead and wonder, what’s around the bend? Again, this photo was found on Google and when you view the page it takes you to Flickr. The artist of this photograph is Noval Nugraha.
This photograph is an example of leading lines. The lines you see drawn serve to bring your eye to the spot down the road, where the road disappears out of sight. Leading lines are meant to draw your attention to a focal point, be it a person, a bend in the road, or any other item of interest. Even though the focal point in this photograph is at a distance, you get the impression it is close.
It’s too bad you can’t zoom this picture in and see the detail of the lily pads, the man in the water, the crest on the castle, and the horse and knight. These are all Legos. This is my photo of leading lines.
As you can see in this photo, the lines drawn serve to bring your focus to the mouth or entrance of the castle. What’s behind the curve and what can you expect when you enter? Your eye is drawn to the black shape of the entrance to the castle, that you can’t see into.
Depth of field
Here you see an image of the desert rock surrounded by water, can you feel the solitude of the area. The contrasting colors of the rock against the backdrop of the sky, the water, and the rock that is shadowed by clouds. As with the other photo’s you can find this photo on Google , and when you view this page it takes you to Jim Zukerman’s photography page. (That really is what the site is called.) The artist of this photo is Jim Zukerman.
The focus of this image is the rock surrounded by water. In depth of field photo’s you can see two things, either the main focal point is sharp and the surrounding picture is blurry, or in this case, the focus of the close, distant, and far distant images are only less focused. The main purpose of this type of photography is to take a 2D photo and make it so our eyes see it in 3D. This is done by creating layers, foreground, midpoint, and background.
This is a picture of the sun coming up, it’s about 6am, and it was taken at work. It’s the high desert and usually there is much more contrast of colors, but with the sun not quite all the way up, we see some shadow. Even though the sun is in your eyes, you can see the pasture and fields beyond the walk way, and a clear image of the sun just cresting to the East. I love this time of the morning, it’s peaceful and quiet.
In this picture you get a good view of the foreground, midpoint, and background. In the foreground you can see the bushes, trees, and walkway. Midpoint is the field beyond the wire fence. The background is the hills beyond the field backlit by the sun cresting over those them. All are in about the same focus, but we see the foreground just a little clearer.
What I’ve learned this week
What have I learned this week? For one thing, I learned that after sifting through thousands, yes thousands, of my photo’s, I center my main focal point in the center of the camera. I did say I was a point and shoot type of photographer.
Seriously though, these three lessons, rule of thirds, leading lines, and depth of field serve to draw the viewers eye into the photo and grasp their attention. This is done by the position of the main subject, also by the surrounding scenery.
I have learned to look at my subject and the surroundings, shifting from my usual center alignment, and placing it where it makes a statement, draws you in, and captures your attention.
I hope these three rules help you create some awesome photographs!
DDBEANS 