Cityscape Photography with trashhand OVERVIEW: PHOTOGRAPHY CONCEPTS Composition: How you choose to frame the picture you're about to make. These are less about a set of 'rules' to follow but guiding principles that lead to a great photo (Read "5 Easy Composition Guidelines" from Nikon).

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Rule of Thirds: This is about subject placement within the frame. The guideline proposes that an image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two equally spaced horizontal lines and two equally spaced vertical lines, and that important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections. (Wikipedia).

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Symmetry: Something described in parallel that conveys balance and proportion. It is a form of pattern that is often associated with “perfection” and illustrates spatial awareness, often through reflection and rotation.

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Patterns: Subjects with repetitive patterns can make for interesting photographs as well. Patterns that are man-made can give your image a strong composition. Look within subjects in a scene to find patterns.

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Lines: When photographing buildings or other strong linear subjects, compose your image so that the architectural elements lead the viewer’s eye through the photograph. These “leading lines” lead your eyes through the image—sometimes even out of the image. These lines can be the main subjects of the image, or they can be used to lead your viewer to a specific area within the photo that is an important focal point.

Long Exposure: involves using a long-duration shutter speed to sharply capture the stationary elements of images while blurring, smearing, or obscuring the moving elements. The paths of moving light sources become clearly visible. If you are interested in taking long exposure photographs, here are some really good resources and how-tos for DSLR and iPhone.

 

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