We try to emphasize our subject in such a way that everything around it becomes objects, give it some room to breathe so it is easily recognizable, place it in such a way as to be the most appealing to us and find a happy balance between all the elements.
What better way to get someone to look around in the way that I was than a circle, if looking at the image above and you feel your eyes naturally wander around by the circle of the shoreline, then the composition is a success.
People often talk about compositions and "rules" of composition and before you know it you are discussing parts of a single "rule" in composition, when that happens I always think about what the comedian Bill Burr said about trying to listen but your head just can´t stay up, like a newborn baby.
I just can´t do such discussions anymore as I feel it is no longer part of the photography I do, I shoot in such a way that I never have to think about compositions but yet they always seem to apply in my photography.
Intentionally I put the image above as an example because it has one simple mistake according to "rules" of composition, being that the actual landscape is so dominant in the image I have not emphasized it enough, but yet, however faint those wispy clouds are, to me they was important and for my own compass of composition I did everything right, even if some does not agree.
The point being is that as with everything, photography is something that needs to be utilized frequently to become better, over time your taste changes and vary slightly and all you need to do to see that is compare a few images from a year back(if you have them) and see how differently you frame your images now.
Think about the "rules" of composition you know and see how many applies to this image, I was not thinking about composition at all while photographing this, yet it is surprising how many "rules" that was included.
I just can´t do such discussions anymore as I feel it is no longer part of the photography I do, I shoot in such a way that I never have to think about compositions but yet they always seem to apply in my photography.
Intentionally I put the image above as an example because it has one simple mistake according to "rules" of composition, being that the actual landscape is so dominant in the image I have not emphasized it enough, but yet, however faint those wispy clouds are, to me they was important and for my own compass of composition I did everything right, even if some does not agree.
The point being is that as with everything, photography is something that needs to be utilized frequently to become better, over time your taste changes and vary slightly and all you need to do to see that is compare a few images from a year back(if you have them) and see how differently you frame your images now.
Think about the "rules" of composition you know and see how many applies to this image, I was not thinking about composition at all while photographing this, yet it is surprising how many "rules" that was included.
Composition basically is placing elements within some kind of frame that looks visually pleasing, it is that simple.
I have not heard of anyone using the term Puzzle Compositions before, but if you think about it, how much more information than that do you really need ?
As soon as you think it you will immediately make an effort to place things in such a way as to look pleasing to you and the more you do it the better at it you will become.
When I think more deeply about it, it is exactly how I take pictures myself and somehow seem to end up with pretty good results.
In simple terms, here is how I think when I used the term Puzzle composition:
* Emphasize the subject
- Something almost always stands out to you, very rarely you like everything you see equally, perhaps it is a tree, a river, a person, a rock, whatever it is, just emphasize it.
* Separation
- If you want people to see how you saw it, do them a big favor by giving the subject you are photographing the room needed to be easily recognizable.
* Placing
- How you arrange the things you see within the frame of an image is crucial, move the camera around until you like one way of placing the subject better than the rest.
* Harmony/Balance
- The final tweaking before pressing the shutter button, ask yourself simple questions: "Is it too much sky/land?" , "Is there something I do not want in the frame or something I want, but isn't included ?", "Should I keep the frame but shoot lower to the ground or higher off the ground?".
This is the step that sometimes has lead me to pick tall grass from a scene or use a string to tie a branch so it did not stick into a frame.
Also this is a really enjoyable time for me, I can keep the camera on the tripod, locked on the frame I have adjusted to, make a fire, drink some tea and just wait/hope for the weather condition to compliment the scene even better.
I have not heard of anyone using the term Puzzle Compositions before, but if you think about it, how much more information than that do you really need ?
As soon as you think it you will immediately make an effort to place things in such a way as to look pleasing to you and the more you do it the better at it you will become.
When I think more deeply about it, it is exactly how I take pictures myself and somehow seem to end up with pretty good results.
In simple terms, here is how I think when I used the term Puzzle composition:
* Emphasize the subject
- Something almost always stands out to you, very rarely you like everything you see equally, perhaps it is a tree, a river, a person, a rock, whatever it is, just emphasize it.
* Separation
- If you want people to see how you saw it, do them a big favor by giving the subject you are photographing the room needed to be easily recognizable.
* Placing
- How you arrange the things you see within the frame of an image is crucial, move the camera around until you like one way of placing the subject better than the rest.
* Harmony/Balance
- The final tweaking before pressing the shutter button, ask yourself simple questions: "Is it too much sky/land?" , "Is there something I do not want in the frame or something I want, but isn't included ?", "Should I keep the frame but shoot lower to the ground or higher off the ground?".
This is the step that sometimes has lead me to pick tall grass from a scene or use a string to tie a branch so it did not stick into a frame.
Also this is a really enjoyable time for me, I can keep the camera on the tripod, locked on the frame I have adjusted to, make a fire, drink some tea and just wait/hope for the weather condition to compliment the scene even better.
By moving around, back and forth, up and down I can eventually puzzle together the elements of what I see in such a way as to look the most pleasing to me while I am still emphasizing the subject I initially liked the best, that is what Puzzle composition is all about.
Hope you like this slightly different way of looking at photographic composition.
Have a great day.
Hope you like this slightly different way of looking at photographic composition.
Have a great day.
