The frustrating part about composition is when it just won't come together. For instance, I was on a street in a neighboring burb with this building that had arches and this guy was riding along on his bicycle. I planned to catch him just under one of those arches. He stopped, though, thinking he was going to ruin my shot. In retrospect, I wish I'd asked if he'd pedal along so I could catch him. One day these kids were walking down the street, one with a green bicycle and the other playing his saxophone on the way home from school. A real shot missed there. Another was this guy on his motorcycle dressed as Santa and his girlfriend as a reindeer. I'm sure we all have stories of shots we didn't get, but it still is frustrating.
I'd say there is one really fundamental compositional element that isn't so much impossible to get any grip on, but framing portrait/landscape/square would be the one that every generation of creative makers has to get their head around, again and again. For instance, classical pictures up to 1900 or so, are really often not square. Painters really avoided that format. They thought it was inorganic, to give just one of their own explanations. Mondriaan, with the help of others, finally reallocated the beautifully nifty square into everyday culture. We all deserved it back. In modern times, phones are portrait-held mostly. Is that because a person standing fills a portrait frame more snugly? Or is it because you look silly and unaware as a modern human if you use it holding it landscape. Is it modern individualization that leads to the portrait standard, is it the other way around, is it both? If you could drag this monster topic on the chopping board one day, that would be great :).
Howdy Howdy just a quick note on composition. I found talking to other type sof artists eg Musicians , dancers, painters, writers etc etc about what composition is and how its used in other art forms helpful to me .
Yeah dof on different sizes sensors from full frame down to apsc to micro 4/3 and digi cams tiny ccd sensors because my sumicronn on my lx3 appears to be infinity ♾️ focus at about 2.8 on but doesn't look anything close to what 2.8 looks like on ff etc
I teach classes on photography composition. What I teach students to do is employ a three step process of organizing thinking about an image. First, ask themselves what the subject is. Then ask themselves what is so interesting about the subject that they want to make the effort of taking a photo of it. And finally, they ask themselves how to use the camera to depict that thing that is worth the effort of photographing. The point here is to get some discipline in the thought process so that they are no longer just seeing something and reacting by picking up the camera and clicking the shutter without thinking about what they are doing and why. What I do not do is teach them to follow the rule of thirds or Fibonacci spirals, or golden ratios, or other such rules or composition. Partly that is because the rules of composition are ways of describing completed work, not so much ways of creating new work. But it’s also because rigidly applying the rules produces mediocre, formulaic, unoriginal work. And, of course, there is no empirical basis behind them whatsoever. I’m sure I’ll get lots of replies about nautilus shells since I said that. :-) But that process of figuring out how to highlight what you want to depict about that subject is very highly intuitive. And you train that intuition by looking at and studying art. Not something that a lot of photographers want to do, alas. But the best thing I did for my own development in photography was to leave Alaska and move to Washington, D.C., a great museum city. Then I spent hours and hours and hours standing in front of paintings in the National Art Gallery and other museums. When I took up photography in a more serious way years later, it paid off big time.
"...because the rules...are ways of describing completed work, not so much ways of creating new work..." This is something I've though about when watching "tutorials". I don't really believe that most photographers stand and consider the Golden Ratio while eyeing up an image. But, they have seen so many images and taken so many images that over time their eye has developed a "sixth sense" for a great scene.
I started my photography journey not long ago and started with film specifically. The exciting part is that I figured out this thought process by myself because shooting film is pretty costly, and you don't want to waste your shots on smth average (which I still end up doing hehe).
This is by far one of the best compositional tutorials that I have ever seen… Thank you so much for the complete change of how I will look at composition going forward!
I find this the best channel (yep, the goat :) about photography's actual content, about its actual purpose and meaning to photographers and certainly also to people who are not in every sense photographers. It does have the momentary breakouts to cameras, lenses, and technology, but really sporadically and only if it is an integral part of the narrative. I love that. I really admire how you explain the micro and macro of being a photographer, being alive, being here, together with people in the same epoque, that we catch and freeze. In case memory fails (and if hardware memory doesn't fail, which it will in the end :). It's a big pleasure every time the algorithm with you onboard passes through my station.
Wonderful photographs. I read that intuition is being able to act or think without deliberation. The reason why this us possible is because it needs learning from the past and all that understanding and learning can be used without deliberation. It is not some ephemeral or spiritual thing. Also experts on the brain and the emotion are stating that it is impossible to be objective as thinking and emotions are inseparable so gut feeling is useful as emotion with thinking helps. I enjoyed your talk on composition and I agree with not being bound by convention with composition.
Another great video! Alex Webb just blows my mind. It's easy to see how he said that 99% of his images don't work out, the timing required for those compositions is crazy and must require incredible patience and determination.
I love the insights you give in your videos!!! After watching several video's of @ThePhotographicEye it becomes clear to me that following all the rules I've learnt only take out the heart of my view of this world. I've been taking photo's ever since I could get my hands on a camera and never minded all these rules. Just followed my instinct. Later I started learning about all the rules of composition. Sure, they have given me more insight about photography but they also slow me down. It gets me in my head and my photos become fake. But when I just take pictures without thinking my photos start to come to life. So thank you for sharing your view, I much appreciate it!
At first, I was “give me the rules”, then I understood where you were going with this. I think that intuition is actually the personality of the photographer. The more I go out to take pics, the more I notice what I am drawn too.
I am 100% with you Alex about perspective. Being down on the ground or shooting upwards can invoke so much more "feeling" and interesting leading lines into a photo than just shooting straight on. I usually find myself being more on the ground when doing my own photography than standing.
I really appreciate how you take photographic concepts and, rather than deconstructing them into overly restrictive "rules" or "tips", you take the hot air, the pedantry, and the ego out of them. You make the concepts approachable while leaving room for the individual photographer to fit them to his or her needs. I find your approach much more useful. Thanks and God bless!
as a photographer of many years, knowing the rules is good for learning and majority of photography, but i've broken them all for specific reasons in my later years, i now make the rules for myself. Creative integrity is where i now sit and ponder my works whether they are professional photography or visual art, or digital art or a mix of them. Good to see you discuss this very difficult subject for purists. I have guided other younger photographers through their photography studies and others along the way to challenge what they are doing, one way is to ask them what it is they want the image to say to the viewer, that focus should be central to their idea, if its a narrative, then to think about the elements of that narrative within the frame, things that you want to be observed or hidden in plain sight, as you said layering can be another; Always perception and light are my focus of my art and photography practice!
Often imperfection is perfection, we don't often have the luxury of a "moment" repeating itself. If you do get the opportunity where one has some "control" spend some more time on the subject and capture in abundance with the option portray versions of the way you see and present your perspectives. Even if it appears that you used the hammer as a screwdriver, just use it when it is there. That is why you often get or see some weird unrealistic edits in post production. I would rather present it as a visual perspective, than try to explain it in a verbal or written perspective. I am just that student that always asks a question, because what you see today might not be there or exist tomorrow. One must find "your" voice and perspective is important.
Great video as always. I maintain that rules around creative work come after the fact, when people need to understand why they like something they can’t explain. The artist didn’t stop to think of any rules, they just did the thing.
Hi Alex, Some really good advice there like when you said about Colour in Composition, and good balance. And to approach photography in a way that makes sense to me, not other photographers. Also so important when you said lighting isn't discussed in Composition. There is no use in taking a photo with great Composition and bad lighting, it kills the photo. Such great advice Alex to keep it simple, all positive advice that will be very useful when we go out to photograph. And then we will enjoy photography more. Thanks for this video. 😃
Alex, So Glad you showed photos from Fan Ho. I love his light affects in his photography. I was also watching the practice of WABI SABI or the misdirection of light ( blurring / unfocused ) photo's. I'm not a huge fan of WABI SABI but it does have its place on the affects of photography.
@@sharondmeber3802 Toshiki Yukawa did a great video on it recently. Wabi-Sabi is much more than just blurred images, in short it's the celebration of all imperfection
Love your videos and this one in particular. I am a retired Architect and your videos remind me of the great lectures that was given when i was in University handout Art and Architecture. I so love your videos that i link them to my camera clubs members only FB page. Keep up the stellar work!
Love this video. The choice of incredible, truly photographic photos and a sense that intuition transcends any rule that may have gone into making them makes this deeply informative. I run, with help, a school photography club and want my students to understand photography as an art creating objects which go on to have their own life on the page or screen. Hearing that good composition is allowing the photo to be a harmonious whole is really refreshing.
As always, great video. In my mind, before even thinking of composition, the basic rule is “What’s the story”, “what’s the message” or “what am I trying to convey” through this photo? This will define what’s in the photo, what’s important and what’s not. The rest is a question of equilibrium,, etc. The KISS approach is one to always remember…
Thank you, great content. I make my living from reportage photos and I feel truly humble watching the photographs you slideshow. There is always something to learn. :) Have a great day :)
If we could only eliminate the word “rule” from art! Rules are used to criticize and there is no better way to suppress creativity. I like the notion of a tool box and using tools that feel right. Use the tools with purpose. I really like that!
Wonderful, wonderful perspective and advice. Loved this video! I can't wait to try de-focusing and tossing away any preconceived rules. Let's see what I get.
The problem with intuition though is that it stems from somewhere. Is that somewhere maybe previous work you have seen? Maybe subconsciously what feels right for your gut, is what somebody else has done before? Maybe a better question to ask is, does it make you happy? Does it emphasize what you wanted it to emphasize in the way you wanted it to be portrayed? The only reason I mention this is because I think I’m in that spot. I believe to be taking “good” pictures, but then I’m thinking, is this me? Seems like a composition 90% of photographers would have chosen. So I’m in this hunt of self identity if you may
One - admittedly more post processing related - rule that I every now and then intentionally challenge is the “never clip your highlights or shadows”. Especially in some black and white photographs, clipping the shadows, actually up to the point there is a dark void harshly separating the range of light, where the shadows play the role of the spooky antagonist and the lights serve as a lifeboat for the lost eye, has really made some images turn from pretty good to stunning.
I think composition in photography suffers from a lack of a proper technical language. There is too much emphasis on a few easy rules, like the baked-in “Rule of Turds,” which ends up making the output predictably boring. Jay Maisel is famous for saying there “are no rules” in photography; his work certainly bears that out. I think what is missing in photography is a better technical language for talking about composition - one which provides us with much more granularity and would give us a better way to gain insight into a broader range of compositional techniques and ideas. Both painting and sculpture have such a language, and I am amazed that it has never really carried over into photography. I am talking about the Elements and Principles of Design, which are the foundation of painting and sculpture and can be used equally effectively in photography. This video is a good starting point for a conversation about composition. You talk about composition as a toolbox and how you can select various tools for different jobs. Like all toolboxes, each tool in the box has a name and a function; this is where we can all benefit from learning about those tools. For example, the Elements of Design, which are your building blocks, describe elements such as (Shape, Space, Line, Texture, Light, and Colour.) And the Principles of Design include Repetition, Rhythm, Balance, Proportion, Emphasis, Economy, Proportion, and Variety, which describe how the work is organized. Imagine the conversation and subsequent understanding we can gain by looking at a photograph through this much more fine-grained toolset - instead of the limiting “Rules” frequently bandied about on UA-cam by too many boring content creators. I have a lot more to say about this, but I also have my own soapbox in the form of photography and composition blogs, so look me up on Google. Finally, I stumbled across your channel last night and found your conversations on photography interesting and refreshing, so please keep it up. It is nice to see UA-cam go beyond the usual boring photography nonsense of “Camera Setting you Must Change” and “What do I think of Camara X After a year.”
Dear Alex, it is is also helpful , instead of squinting , take a look at your image upside down. Then you see the disturbing objects or places or the place where your sight is drawn to...
1:34 Nailed it! Harmony in the image is the goal. This is described in the >100 yo book "Composition" by Arthur Wesley Dow (painter and photographer) who taught a who's who in the early 1900's of east coast photographers. It covers squinting, shapes, tones, etc.. based on Japanese Notan influence. Easy read for any photographer today. Like you I prefer a non-formula more intuitive way of composition which comes with practice.
Great advice sir..as a newbie to the photographhy this has enlighten me..I love the rule of thirds and leading lines..also Alex webb is one of my fav street photographer..as layering Cudos Ans have a great day
I never ever think about rules when taking a photograph. I am too busy trying to work out how to get the 4 edges (the border between the seen and unseen) perfect, with nothing present (in shot) that annoys me. Whilst making sure there are no objects in shot that clash/overlap in an annoying way. So basically it comes down to eliminating everything that is annoying then pushing the button.
Composition is such a wide and abstract concept. I think it is this that makes it so hard to grasp. I‘m not sure your video helped me much in coming to terms with it. Perspective is certainly one element of composition but most of the examples you used for illustration made very strong statements with their actual content and/or how much of it was actually present in the image. Rather than with how objects were placed in relation to each other and in relation to the rectangle that delimits the picture. Is composition only about the placement in space and about the direction of the subjects relative to the position and direction of the lens? How much can a photographer shape the subjects? Is the fact that the red high-heels in one example are in strong contrast with the dark green dress an element of composition? Would it be an element of composition if the lady wore her shoes on her hands? It would be great if, in another video, you could abstract from elements in the pictures that are not part of the composition in your opinion, then vary the composition and analyse the effects. Hopefully, the different aspects of composition would then be easier to tell apart and grasp. Thanks!
I believe in simplicity and clear and obvious direction. Andreij Tarkowski said 'isolate one sound, one thing'. The viewer needs to be somewhat sure what the point is. Once I know what I want to say or show, I am strippping away as many distractions as possible. As far as breaking the rules in concerned, I find that film (DOP) channels on youtube are leading the education on composition and lighting and resulting emotional influence. Gut feeling only goes so far. Accidentally taking a poignant photo doesn't make anyone a great photographer. By the way, the worst clients are those who want you to cram as much stuff into the picture as possible. And the ones who can't tell you what they want you to visually convey on their behalf. Have a great evening!
*_Sir, I want to master photography and wanna become a professional photographer but I cannot afford a camera due to my poor financial conditions I only have a smartphone can I learn photography with my mobile camera, I mean I have a Vivo smart phone not Apple's I phone?❤*
To start with, just watch a few videos on the basics of photography. Find some photographers whose work you enjoy and look at it. Really look at it. Then remember the camera is just a tool - even though you have 'just' a smartphone now - learn to take photos with it. To see the world as a photographer does.
Regarding the photo at 15:31 ~ This must have been tricky to execute.. The two young men on the right are stood on top of a bike, posing in the most casual manner. The bike is leaning against the fence. Very clever stuff.
I learned all the rules of composition long ago. But there came a point wherf I realized that fussing around with those "rules" stymied my creativity and worked against me. Some of the best works in any subject (photography, painting, writing, engineering, music, ...) break the rules.
When it comes to composition I really like Nick Carver and what he does with his 617 photography. Would be highly appreciated if you did something about (with?) him.
Layering just reminds me of the oral assessment I have to do in primary school where you have to verbally describe a picture provided. And the picture will have a number of things going on in the fore, mid and back ground. So you are not wrong about the educational aspect of it..😆
Dear Alex, I like watching your "lessons". It is the manner how you talk about photography, with passion and enthusiasm, never boring. Usually inspiring. Nothing about camera bodies, lenses and pixels - all about the photo and photographer. Fantastic and inspiring selection of photos. Thank you for your efforts and great work.
Thank you for showing so many examples of images, many of which we would never discover. Plus the videos feel more ingaging that’s watching a talking head 😂 Please continue!
It's a good exercise to look at your images and try to crop it in a way that makes it more effective. This will improve your ability to make better compositional decisions in the future.
Many great ideas in this. But jeez, can I just comment on how much of a wizard Alex Webb is? His ability to catch that "decisive moment" is just unreal. It almost seems fake or staged but yet, its just too good to be faked: a truth is better than fiction kind of scenario perhaps. Anyway. Love the content as always
I think the word 'harmonious' sums it up. I do 'squint' and that usually shows instantly if things are balanced. I'm still struggling to lead people's eye around the image, I think that's tricky. And then you do that and the image isn't balanced anymore :( I'll stick to looking through the eyepiece and if I like the balance I'll adjust the light to get what I want. If I like it great. If others don't, I'm not going to get upset as I'm only doing this for myself. Sadly I'll never be a Fan Ho :(
@@ThePhotographicEye Negative space is something I wish I understood better. Whether it’s putting just one object, say a can, somewhere in the frame and it’s in just the perfect place. Or in a portrait….or a street scene……the idea of negative space is something I feel when I see it but achieving it myself is something I grapple with.
Provene= Proven? That is how it is correctly spelled. I am sure you knew that though. Have others read your titles before posting. We tend to see what we meant to type, rather than what we actually typed. One of this first things as I learned when writing my first novel.
The Irony here is the majority of the images shared here follow the compositional principles including Rules of Thirds, Golden ratio, diagonals and other related jargon! Invite you to break down the images and see how perfectly majority of them fit in!
My recommendation to other photographers is to forget the damn rules and just let your creativity flow. Don't let your photos be boxed in by rules that are meant as guides for beginning photographers. Rather like the rules you learn in a drivers education class and then don't think about again once you have some experience driving. Unfortunately, no matter how much we know about photography and our camera, most of us will never have the eye for composition that someone like Edward Weston had. Some skills are born with the person and are at a level that cannot be learned no matter how much we practice.
You're back to slapping a sound track on top of what you are saying like it will help comprehension. For awhile you tailored music over the photos you displayed when you weren't also speaking, and that worked. It enhanced the visual impact for me anyway, but having to delineate your voice from the background sleep-aid is a complete put-off.
Is there something in photography composition that you just can't get a grip on?
Please let me know so I can put together a video to help you...
The frustrating part about composition is when it just won't come together. For instance, I was on a street in a neighboring burb with this building that had arches and this guy was riding along on his bicycle. I planned to catch him just under one of those arches. He stopped, though, thinking he was going to ruin my shot. In retrospect, I wish I'd asked if he'd pedal along so I could catch him.
One day these kids were walking down the street, one with a green bicycle and the other playing his saxophone on the way home from school. A real shot missed there.
Another was this guy on his motorcycle dressed as Santa and his girlfriend as a reindeer. I'm sure we all have stories of shots we didn't get, but it still is frustrating.
I'd say there is one really fundamental compositional element that isn't so much impossible to get any grip on, but framing portrait/landscape/square would be the one that every generation of creative makers has to get their head around, again and again. For instance, classical pictures up to 1900 or so, are really often not square. Painters really avoided that format. They thought it was inorganic, to give just one of their own explanations. Mondriaan, with the help of others, finally reallocated the beautifully nifty square into everyday culture. We all deserved it back. In modern times, phones are portrait-held mostly. Is that because a person standing fills a portrait frame more snugly? Or is it because you look silly and unaware as a modern human if you use it holding it landscape. Is it modern individualization that leads to the portrait standard, is it the other way around, is it both?
If you could drag this monster topic on the chopping board one day, that would be great :).
Howdy Howdy just a quick note on composition. I found talking to other type sof artists eg Musicians , dancers, painters, writers etc etc about what composition is and how its used in other art forms helpful to me .
Yeah dof on different sizes sensors from full frame down to apsc to micro 4/3 and digi cams tiny ccd sensors because my sumicronn on my lx3 appears to be infinity ♾️ focus at about 2.8 on but doesn't look anything close to what 2.8 looks like on ff etc
"Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist." ------- Pablo Picasso
I teach classes on photography composition. What I teach students to do is employ a three step process of organizing thinking about an image. First, ask themselves what the subject is. Then ask themselves what is so interesting about the subject that they want to make the effort of taking a photo of it. And finally, they ask themselves how to use the camera to depict that thing that is worth the effort of photographing. The point here is to get some discipline in the thought process so that they are no longer just seeing something and reacting by picking up the camera and clicking the shutter without thinking about what they are doing and why.
What I do not do is teach them to follow the rule of thirds or Fibonacci spirals, or golden ratios, or other such rules or composition. Partly that is because the rules of composition are ways of describing completed work, not so much ways of creating new work. But it’s also because rigidly applying the rules produces mediocre, formulaic, unoriginal work. And, of course, there is no empirical basis behind them whatsoever. I’m sure I’ll get lots of replies about nautilus shells since I said that. :-)
But that process of figuring out how to highlight what you want to depict about that subject is very highly intuitive. And you train that intuition by looking at and studying art. Not something that a lot of photographers want to do, alas. But the best thing I did for my own development in photography was to leave Alaska and move to Washington, D.C., a great museum city. Then I spent hours and hours and hours standing in front of paintings in the National Art Gallery and other museums. When I took up photography in a more serious way years later, it paid off big time.
wow, thanks for writing this ♥♥
"...because the rules...are ways of describing completed work, not so much ways of creating new work..." This is something I've though about when watching "tutorials". I don't really believe that most photographers stand and consider the Golden Ratio while eyeing up an image. But, they have seen so many images and taken so many images that over time their eye has developed a "sixth sense" for a great scene.
@@charliejgTo quote Edward Weston: “Following rules of composition can only lead to a tedious repetition of pictorial cliches.”
😊
I started my photography journey not long ago and started with film specifically. The exciting part is that I figured out this thought process by myself because shooting film is pretty costly, and you don't want to waste your shots on smth average (which I still end up doing hehe).
This is by far one of the best compositional tutorials that I have ever seen… Thank you so much for the complete change of how I will look at composition going forward!
I love your idea that the "rules" have purpose and anti-purpose. Looking forward to playing with that in my photography.
I find this the best channel (yep, the goat :) about photography's actual content, about its actual purpose and meaning to photographers and certainly also to people who are not in every sense photographers. It does have the momentary breakouts to cameras, lenses, and technology, but really sporadically and only if it is an integral part of the narrative. I love that. I really admire how you explain the micro and macro of being a photographer, being alive, being here, together with people in the same epoque, that we catch and freeze. In case memory fails (and if hardware memory doesn't fail, which it will in the end :).
It's a big pleasure every time the algorithm with you onboard passes through my station.
Thank you
Well said! My feelings as well, 'tis always good to encounter conceptual content in a world far too often dominated by tiresome mechanistic dogma.
Your photos are amazing visual landscapes within themselves beyond the landscapes in normal photography terms
Squinting was the best I've got after I've started doing photography and thank you very much sir🙏❤
You're very welcome!
Love the idea of changing perspective, have been playing with that!
Wonderful photographs. I read that intuition is being able to act or think without deliberation. The reason why this us possible is because it needs learning from the past and all that understanding and learning can be used without deliberation. It is not some ephemeral or spiritual thing. Also experts on the brain and the emotion are stating that it is impossible to be objective as thinking and emotions are inseparable so gut feeling is useful as emotion with thinking helps. I enjoyed your talk on composition and I agree with not being bound by convention with composition.
Another great video! Alex Webb just blows my mind. It's easy to see how he said that 99% of his images don't work out, the timing required for those compositions is crazy and must require incredible patience and determination.
Shooting in layers in dynamic scenes is godmode
totally. I've tried. Just can't get it to flow - you can know the theory and help others, but sometimes it just doesn't happen
Your photography (shown here) is exceptional, Alex, simultaneously hard and stark, and soft and beautiful: mesmerising!
This entire episode encompasses what I aim for in my photography! Another superb discussion yet again, sir!
Thank you
I love the insights you give in your videos!!!
After watching several video's of @ThePhotographicEye it becomes clear to me that following all the rules I've learnt only take out the heart of my view of this world. I've been taking photo's ever since I could get my hands on a camera and never minded all these rules. Just followed my instinct.
Later I started learning about all the rules of composition. Sure, they have given me more insight about photography but they also slow me down. It gets me in my head and my photos become fake. But when I just take pictures without thinking my photos start to come to life.
So thank you for sharing your view, I much appreciate it!
My pleasure, thank you for watching
I just love watching your videos, they fill my mind with inspiration.
Wow, thank you!
At first, I was “give me the rules”, then I understood where you were going with this. I think that intuition is actually the personality of the photographer. The more I go out to take pics, the more I notice what I am drawn too.
I am 100% with you Alex about perspective.
Being down on the ground or shooting upwards can invoke so much more "feeling" and interesting leading lines into a photo than just shooting straight on.
I usually find myself being more on the ground when doing my own photography than standing.
I agree 100%. I tried the low angle for a few of my pix on a recent shoot and some of the images look much more interesting.
Thank you for watching
I really appreciate how you take photographic concepts and, rather than deconstructing them into overly restrictive "rules" or "tips", you take the hot air, the pedantry, and the ego out of them. You make the concepts approachable while leaving room for the individual photographer to fit them to his or her needs. I find your approach much more useful. Thanks and God bless!
That’s awesome. Thank you for watching
Loved this video! Reminds me to be more intentional about my photography!! Thanks!
Thanks for watching.
This was a good one. I get hung up on “composition.” But you explained better than anyone I’ve seen on UA-cam. Very helpful, thank you.
Thanks for watching
Ahh those pictures of Marco Pierre White are incredible! He's such a model just being himself. Captured him perfectly.
Just brilliant . Thank you Alex
Thanks for watching
Thank you so much for these amazing teachings ❤
You are so welcome!
so refreshing to listen to. thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
as a photographer of many years, knowing the rules is good for learning and majority of photography, but i've broken them all for specific reasons in my later years, i now make the rules for myself. Creative integrity is where i now sit and ponder my works whether they are professional photography or visual art, or digital art or a mix of them.
Good to see you discuss this very difficult subject for purists.
I have guided other younger photographers through their photography studies and others along the way to challenge what they are doing, one way is to ask them what it is they want the image to say to the viewer, that focus should be central to their idea, if its a narrative, then to think about the elements of that narrative within the frame, things that you want to be observed or hidden in plain sight, as you said layering can be another; Always perception and light are my focus of my art and photography practice!
Often imperfection is perfection, we don't often have the luxury of a "moment" repeating itself. If you do get the opportunity where one has some "control" spend some more time on the subject and capture in abundance with the option portray versions of the way you see and present your perspectives. Even if it appears that you used the hammer as a screwdriver, just use it when it is there. That is why you often get or see some weird unrealistic edits in post production. I would rather present it as a visual perspective, than try to explain it in a verbal or written perspective. I am just that student that always asks a question, because what you see today might not be there or exist tomorrow. One must find "your" voice and perspective is important.
Great video as always.
I maintain that rules around creative work come after the fact, when people need to understand why they like something they can’t explain. The artist didn’t stop to think of any rules, they just did the thing.
informative video with some classic photographer examples E Weston, useful photography content.
Thanks John, glad you enjoyed it
Really excellent and helpful video Great examples Thanks
You're very welcome!
Thanks a lot moving from technics, to composition, refreshing and soulful.
Hi Alex, Some really good advice there like when you said about Colour in Composition, and good balance. And to approach photography in a way that makes sense to me, not other photographers. Also so important when you said lighting isn't discussed in Composition. There is no use in taking a photo with great Composition and bad lighting, it kills the photo. Such great advice Alex to keep it simple, all positive advice that will be very useful when we go out to photograph. And then we will enjoy photography more. Thanks for this video. 😃
Wow. Thank you
@@ThePhotographicEye No worries your welcome Alex. 😊
Alex, So Glad you showed photos from Fan Ho. I love his light affects in his photography. I was also watching the practice of WABI SABI or the misdirection of light ( blurring / unfocused ) photo's. I'm not a huge fan of WABI SABI but it does have its place on the affects of photography.
Any suggestions on whom to learn more about Wabi Sabi?
@@sharondmeber3802 Toshiki Yukawa did a great video on it recently. Wabi-Sabi is much more than just blurred images, in short it's the celebration of all imperfection
Great video, thank you! I love that you show photographs of other people and keep the credit. Cheers!
Love your videos and this one in particular. I am a retired Architect and your videos remind me of the great lectures that was given when i was in University handout Art and Architecture. I so love your videos that i link them to my camera clubs members only FB page. Keep up the stellar work!
Awesome. Thank you
your channel is so great thank you so much for it
Glad you enjoy it!
Love this video. The choice of incredible, truly photographic photos and a sense that intuition transcends any rule that may have gone into making them makes this deeply informative. I run, with help, a school photography club and want my students to understand photography as an art creating objects which go on to have their own life on the page or screen. Hearing that good composition is allowing the photo to be a harmonious whole is really refreshing.
Glad you enjoyed it!
As always, great video. In my mind, before even thinking of composition, the basic rule is “What’s the story”, “what’s the message” or “what am I trying to convey” through this photo? This will define what’s in the photo, what’s important and what’s not. The rest is a question of equilibrium,, etc. The KISS approach is one to always remember…
I love your dialectical approach to photography! Your videos are a real source of inspiration. You just have to be able to engage with it. Thank you!
Wow, thank you!
Thank you. All the best. 👍📷😎
Thanks, you too!
Thank you, great content. I make my living from reportage photos and I feel truly humble watching the photographs you slideshow. There is always something to learn. :) Have a great day :)
Thank you.
If we could only eliminate the word “rule” from art! Rules are used to criticize and there is no better way to suppress creativity. I like the notion of a tool box and using tools that feel right. Use the tools with purpose. I really like that!
Wonderful, wonderful perspective and advice. Loved this video! I can't wait to try de-focusing and tossing away any preconceived rules. Let's see what I get.
Awesome. Thank you
great tips again thank you
My pleasure!
The problem with intuition though is that it stems from somewhere. Is that somewhere maybe previous work you have seen? Maybe subconsciously what feels right for your gut, is what somebody else has done before? Maybe a better question to ask is, does it make you happy? Does it emphasize what you wanted it to emphasize in the way you wanted it to be portrayed?
The only reason I mention this is because I think I’m in that spot. I believe to be taking “good” pictures, but then I’m thinking, is this me? Seems like a composition 90% of photographers would have chosen. So I’m in this hunt of self identity if you may
Thank you for that inspiring video!
You are so welcome!
One - admittedly more post processing related - rule that I every now and then intentionally challenge is the “never clip your highlights or shadows”. Especially in some black and white photographs, clipping the shadows, actually up to the point there is a dark void harshly separating the range of light, where the shadows play the role of the spooky antagonist and the lights serve as a lifeboat for the lost eye, has really made some images turn from pretty good to stunning.
Thanks Alex
Amazing. Thank you for this.
My pleasure!
Thank you !
You're welcome!
I think composition in photography suffers from a lack of a proper technical language. There is too much emphasis on a few easy rules, like the baked-in “Rule of Turds,” which ends up making the output predictably boring. Jay Maisel is famous for saying there “are no rules” in photography; his work certainly bears that out.
I think what is missing in photography is a better technical language for talking about composition - one which provides us with much more granularity and would give us a better way to gain insight into a broader range of compositional techniques and ideas. Both painting and sculpture have such a language, and I am amazed that it has never really carried over into photography. I am talking about the Elements and Principles of Design, which are the foundation of painting and sculpture and can be used equally effectively in photography.
This video is a good starting point for a conversation about composition. You talk about composition as a toolbox and how you can select various tools for different jobs. Like all toolboxes, each tool in the box has a name and a function; this is where we can all benefit from learning about those tools. For example, the Elements of Design, which are your building blocks, describe elements such as (Shape, Space, Line, Texture, Light, and Colour.) And the Principles of Design include Repetition, Rhythm, Balance, Proportion, Emphasis, Economy, Proportion, and Variety, which describe how the work is organized. Imagine the conversation and subsequent understanding we can gain by looking at a photograph through this much more fine-grained toolset - instead of the limiting “Rules” frequently bandied about on UA-cam by too many boring content creators.
I have a lot more to say about this, but I also have my own soapbox in the form of photography and composition blogs, so look me up on Google.
Finally, I stumbled across your channel last night and found your conversations on photography interesting and refreshing, so please keep it up. It is nice to see UA-cam go beyond the usual boring photography nonsense of “Camera Setting you Must Change” and “What do I think of Camara X After a year.”
Dear Alex, it is is also helpful , instead of squinting , take a look at your image upside down. Then you see the disturbing objects or places or the place where your sight is drawn to...
1:34 Nailed it! Harmony in the image is the goal. This is described in the >100 yo book "Composition" by Arthur Wesley Dow (painter and photographer) who taught a who's who in the early 1900's of east coast photographers. It covers squinting, shapes, tones, etc.. based on Japanese Notan influence. Easy read for any photographer today. Like you I prefer a non-formula more intuitive way of composition which comes with practice.
Great advice sir..as a newbie to the photographhy this has enlighten me..I love the rule of thirds and leading lines..also Alex webb is one of my fav street photographer..as layering
Cudos Ans have a great day
Composition is the key to engage the eye/brain and to coherently evolve the story of an interesting idea (attention grabbing for the worth of it)
I never ever think about rules when taking a photograph. I am too busy trying to work out how to get the 4 edges (the border between the seen and unseen) perfect, with nothing present (in shot) that annoys me. Whilst making sure there are no objects in shot that clash/overlap in an annoying way. So basically it comes down to eliminating everything that is annoying then pushing the button.
I actually don’t have a wide angle lens. Thanks for reminding me :)
Composition is such a wide and abstract concept. I think it is this that makes it so hard to grasp. I‘m not sure your video helped me much in coming to terms with it. Perspective is certainly one element of composition but most of the examples you used for illustration made very strong statements with their actual content and/or how much of it was actually present in the image. Rather than with how objects were placed in relation to each other and in relation to the rectangle that delimits the picture.
Is composition only about the placement in space and about the direction of the subjects relative to the position and direction of the lens? How much can a photographer shape the subjects? Is the fact that the red high-heels in one example are in strong contrast with the dark green dress an element of composition? Would it be an element of composition if the lady wore her shoes on her hands?
It would be great if, in another video, you could abstract from elements in the pictures that are not part of the composition in your opinion, then vary the composition and analyse the effects. Hopefully, the different aspects of composition would then be easier to tell apart and grasp. Thanks!
I love your channel
Thank you.
Świetny przekaz :-)
I believe in simplicity and clear and obvious direction. Andreij Tarkowski said 'isolate one sound, one thing'. The viewer needs to be somewhat sure what the point is.
Once I know what I want to say or show, I am strippping away as many distractions as possible.
As far as breaking the rules in concerned, I find that film (DOP) channels on youtube are leading the education on composition and lighting and resulting emotional influence. Gut feeling only goes so far. Accidentally taking a poignant photo doesn't make anyone a great photographer.
By the way, the worst clients are those who want you to cram as much stuff into the picture as possible. And the ones who can't tell you what they want you to visually convey on their behalf.
Have a great evening!
*_Sir, I want to master photography and wanna become a professional photographer but I cannot afford a camera due to my poor financial conditions I only have a smartphone can I learn photography with my mobile camera, I mean I have a Vivo smart phone not Apple's I phone?❤*
You definitely can! For example, nothing mentioned in this video touches which camera you shoot with!
To start with, just watch a few videos on the basics of photography. Find some photographers whose work you enjoy and look at it. Really look at it.
Then remember the camera is just a tool - even though you have 'just' a smartphone now - learn to take photos with it. To see the world as a photographer does.
One word yes. Photography is about creating images, not the tools.
Regarding the photo at 15:31 ~
This must have been tricky to execute..
The two young men on the right are stood on top of a bike, posing in the most casual manner. The bike is leaning against the fence.
Very clever stuff.
Alex do you ever use professional mode on your phone to shoot?
Superb
Thanks 🤗
I learned all the rules of composition long ago. But there came a point wherf I realized that fussing around with those "rules" stymied my creativity and worked against me. Some of the best works in any subject (photography, painting, writing, engineering, music, ...) break the rules.
When it comes to composition I really like Nick Carver and what he does with his 617 photography. Would be highly appreciated if you did something about (with?) him.
Layering just reminds me of the oral assessment I have to do in primary school where you have to verbally describe a picture provided. And the picture will have a number of things going on in the fore, mid and back ground. So you are not wrong about the educational aspect of it..😆
I can’t remember the last video of yours that wasn’t spot on!!!
Dear Alex, I like watching your "lessons". It is the manner how you talk about photography, with passion and enthusiasm, never boring. Usually inspiring.
Nothing about camera bodies, lenses and pixels - all about the photo and photographer. Fantastic and inspiring selection of photos.
Thank you for your efforts and great work.
Wow thank you.
Thank you for showing so many examples of images, many of which we would never discover. Plus the videos feel more ingaging that’s watching a talking head 😂 Please continue!
Glad you enjoyed it!
just to say, thanks.
Thank you too!
It's a good exercise to look at your images and try to crop it in a way that makes it more effective.
This will improve your ability to make better compositional decisions in the future.
Many great ideas in this. But jeez, can I just comment on how much of a wizard Alex Webb is? His ability to catch that "decisive moment" is just unreal. It almost seems fake or staged but yet, its just too good to be faked: a truth is better than fiction kind of scenario perhaps. Anyway. Love the content as always
That’s awesome, thank you for watching
I think the word 'harmonious' sums it up. I do 'squint' and that usually shows instantly if things are balanced. I'm still struggling to lead people's eye around the image, I think that's tricky. And then you do that and the image isn't balanced anymore :( I'll stick to looking through the eyepiece and if I like the balance I'll adjust the light to get what I want. If I like it great. If others don't, I'm not going to get upset as I'm only doing this for myself. Sadly I'll never be a Fan Ho :(
The luxury of portrait photographers. Us action guys have no time for composition. The shot appears for a split second.
With respect, I frequentl run through your postings more than once, but second and subsequent viewings are with audio off.
Right.😂especially about the ‘Fibonacci stuff’! That would be me at times….way overthinking. Thank you Alex!
Not a problem! What other composition techniques drive you nuts?
@@ThePhotographicEye
Negative space is something I wish I understood better. Whether it’s putting just one object, say a can, somewhere in the frame and it’s in just the perfect place. Or in a portrait….or a street scene……the idea of negative space is something I feel when I see it but achieving it myself is something I grapple with.
@@nyfrankie9460 Let me see if there's something I can create for you to explain it. Thanks for letting me know
Composition is a tool to create order out of chaos.
10:30 Finnobacci stuff? That's the anti-Fibonacci stuff is it?🙂
Does that feel right, is how I work.
Medieval aethetics, which refused classic formailsm, stressed on the importance of Consonantia et Claritas"
Provene= Proven? That is how it is correctly spelled. I am sure you knew that though. Have others read your titles before posting. We tend to see what we meant to type, rather than what we actually typed. One of this first things as I learned when writing my first novel.
The secret is oomph 😊
Is that spelled oumf or oooommmF
ooomph?
@@itsadogslife65 very hard to keep up with these highly technical terms he uses lol
You either have it or you don't I find. You can learn some techniques but the best do it naturally like Henri Cartier Bresson.
Everything is a hammer if you swing it hard enough.
Most useful comment: 99% of the photos fail. It's a lot easier to learn from mistakes and enjoy the good photos by understanding this.
The Irony here is the majority of the images shared here follow the compositional principles including Rules of Thirds, Golden ratio, diagonals and other related jargon! Invite you to break down the images and see how perfectly majority of them fit in!
My recommendation to other photographers is to forget the damn rules and just let your creativity flow. Don't let your photos be boxed in by rules that are meant as guides for beginning photographers. Rather like the rules you learn in a drivers education class and then don't think about again once you have some experience driving. Unfortunately, no matter how much we know about photography and our camera, most of us will never have the eye for composition that someone like Edward Weston had. Some skills are born with the person and are at a level that cannot be learned no matter how much we practice.
You're back to slapping a sound track on top of what you are saying like it will help comprehension. For awhile you tailored music over the photos you displayed when you weren't also speaking, and that worked. It enhanced the visual impact for me anyway, but having to delineate your voice from the background sleep-aid is a complete put-off.
Fibonacci? You said finobacci
dont like Weston
It still blows my mind how subjective photography really is, this dudes here taking photos of a urinal and talking abiut compositional elements
This narrative about composition is like talking about sharpness. Pretty dull.