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Wk 3 - Framing and Composition



Shooting in Manual

Hello manual! Over the last two weeks we have been shooting in Aperture and Shutter priority.  So when we were asked to switch to Manual, i was a bit apprehensive.  After great direction, it didn't feel so foreign.

Framing

Framing, draws attention to the subject in the photo by using other parts of the image with something in the scene.

f3.5, 1/500, ISO 200
This isn't the best example of framing but i promise i will post up a better photo.  This was taken during our class exercise.  Shot at a low depth of field, my main focus was to practice shooting in manual.  I'm not 100% sure what im doing so i'll be doing alot of research with it all.  As you can see the colours are a bit blah, which i absolutely hate but i hope that as i become more informed the quality of my photos will show some sort of improvement. 

While doing research on a website called Digital Photography School advice which was offered when framing a subject was to as whether the framing would add or distract attention away from image.  As this can cause a photo to appear cluttered or on the flip side transform an ordinary shot to a stunning photo.

Composition

This is all about how you compose your shots.  Like a song writer, putting together the right words to music can make a song unforgettable.  This is also true for photos, balance is the key.  It's been quite a journey learning how all of these elements work together to make a shot balanced.  There are so many things to consider.   In class Caryline spoke about photography being a "considered" approach, i really like that!  It rings truth to the youth worker in me.  One of the greatest lessons taught to me by a great mentor and teacher Lloyd Martin, is the importance of knowing your audience.  Regardless of what you do for young people, if you don't see things from their perspective then you've wasted your time and theirs.  I'm starting to realise just how important all these elements are in the construction of photos.  At the end of the day, i want people viewing my photos to understand whats happening in my photos and not be left wandering what the heck just happened. 

Below are some examples of rule of thirds:

Rule of thirds


These photos were taken at Manukau MIT site in the late afternoon.

f/5.6, 1/13, ISO 100

f/4.0, 1/25, ISO 1600
My subject is the tree, i used the lines above to direct the eye to the tree.  I also placed the tree in the fore ground using the light from below to further emphases it.  This was taken in "golden hour" which gave a beautiful background for the tree.  I also like the contrast of man made and nature complimenting each other.
f/5.0, 1/15, ISO 100
 I used my bag as the subject.  I thought that the colours would reinforce its focus in the frame.  I also positioned the bag in the intersecting lines and used the lines of the MIT building to direct the eye to the bag.  On second thoughts maybe the colours of the bag was a bit of an obvious choice especially as there is a lack of colours in the mid and background. 

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