A Composition Practice
“Photography is an art of observation. It has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” — Elliot Erwitt
Composition is the underlying language that creates a compelling photograph; maybe we don’t understand it right away, or maybe it’s obviously spelled out right in our faces we can’t miss it. Think of it as a secret language we can use to communicate our story and highlight our subject. We can make it as obvious or subtle as we like! If it’s a larger scene or full table, there’s more room to play and mix things up. But it can be equally as tricky if you don’t have much to work with.
One trick I have to improve your composition language is to start small before building up to a larger, filled scene. Starting small isn’t necessarily easier in fact, it actually can be quite tricky, but it helps you develop your eye! Three is a magic number in the universe. And in this instance, three is where this practice begins. Choose three objects or three things that create a story together. For example, it could be a teapot, a teacup, and a slice of cake or a glass of wine, a wedge of cheese on board, and some grapes. Think of it as a mini little still life. Try out different options, switching items in and out…maybe take out the teapot and add some honey or a creamer, but still keep it three items. Arrange them on a table in different ways…if you arrange the items in any type of triangle, it’s usually a winning composition.
Another thing to think about is the height when you are selecting and composing your items. Try varied heights or experiment with three of the same object. Play with the heights and sizes. The point of the exercise is to train your eye to see a striking composition with only three items. It’s harder than you think! But when in doubt, you (generally) can’t go wrong with a three-object composition. In art, there is the “Rule Of Odds,” which is that a composition will be visually more pleasing to the eye and dynamic to the viewer. Three, five, seven, nine…odd numbers create a more dynamic and interesting composition as they force your eyes to move around the grouping of objects or throughout a space. That eye movement is what strikes our visual interest. It’s balanced and yet leaves our eye wanting more, like a sentence without a final period.
Next time you’re feeling overwhelmed with a full scene, narrow down your frame to just three things and take it from there. See how you can work with what you have, and once those three items feel right, add more bit by bit. Start small with the “sacred trio,” and maybe work your way up to five or seven items and see how the scene unfolds before you and how it feels.
