ICT reviewer

Composition and key elements of photography

Composition- in photography simply means arranging elements within it in a way that suits
the core idea or goal of your work best.

 is a way of guiding the viewer’s eye towards the most important elements of your
work, sometimes – in a very specific order.

Good composition is a key element of good photographs yet is something that is hard to define. The
key is to remember that in the same way as chef rarely uses all the ingredients at their disposal in
any dish – that a photographer rarely uses all of the ingredients of composition in the making of an
image.

They’re not ‘rules’ – just things to consider when setting up a shot.

10 Elements of Composition in Photography:

Subject - is simply the object (or person or critter) that is shown in the image and is the focus on the
image, both literally as the sharpest point in the photograph and in a more figurative sense.

1. Points- The simplest element of composition. a small area of interest in a photo, or the
intersection between areas of interest.

2. Lines- anything that connects two parts of a photo or stretches across your composition.

3. Shapes- can be anything, from the crescent moon to the shape of a smiling face. Each variety of
it has its own emotional impact on a photo, and it’s impossible to generalize.

4. Texture- plays an important role in determining its emotional impact, as well as the amount of
attention it draws.

5. Color- makes a big difference to the composition of a photo, as well as the mood. Each brings its
own emotions to photography.

Warm colors- are red, orange, and yellow. They are active, jumping to the front of an image and
conveying more movement and excitement.

Cool colors- are the opposite: green, blue, and violet. These are calmer colors, with a bit more
gentleness to their nature.
6. Tone- refer to hues and intensity of color, it also relates to the brightness and darkness of an
image, as well as its contrast.

Darker photographs - tend to obscure more of your subject, giving it a mysterious, intense, and
even refined appearance.

Brighter photographs - are more ethereal and optimistic.

7. Distance- The simplest relationship between elements of composition.

8. Balance- related closely to the concept of visual weight. Is about the arrangement of visual
weight in a photo

Visual weight- is the amount of attention each object in your photo attracts.

9. Space (Positive and Negative)

Positive space - is any part of the photo that attracts attention.

Negative space- is the “filler” between regions of positive space. It doesn’t necessarily fade into
the background like cool colors tend to do, but it isn’t the portion of the photo that attracts the
most attention

Photos with high amounts of positive space feel crowded, while photos with high amounts of
negative space feel empty

10. Patterns- are everywhere. This isn’t just something small like a texture that repeats itself
throughout the photo, but really in any repeating element at all.
Color Theory

Color Theory- is the body of practical guidance for color mixing and the visual effects of a specific color
combination.

Color harmony- refers to the property that certain aesthetically pleasing color combinations have. These
combinations create pleasing contrasts and consonances that are said to be harmonious.

These combinations can be of

 complementary colors
 split-complementary colors
 color triads,
 Rectangular
 Square
 Analogous colors.

Complementary colors - exist opposite each other on the color wheel.

Split-complementary- colors are like complementary colors, except one of the complements is split into
two nearby analogous colors. This maintains the tension of complementary colors while simultaneously
introducing more visual interest with more variety

Triads- Similarly to split-complementary colors mentioned above, color triads involve three colors in a
geometric relationship. Unlike split-complementary colors, however, all three colors are equidistant to
one another on the color wheel in an equilateral triangle.

Analogous colors- The simplest and most stable harmony. It is composed of a root color and two or
more nearby colors.

Square - use a combination of four colors equally spaced around the color wheel.

Rectangular -“rectangle” color scheme uses four colors arranged into two complementary pairs.
Basic parts of a camera

Most cameras can be grouped into four main types:

 digital SLR (or DSLR)

Basic Parts of a Camera

1. Lens- is one of the most vital parts of a camera. The light enters through the lens, and this is
where the photo process begins. Lenses can be either fixed permanently to the body or
interchangeable. They can also vary in focal length, aperture, and other details.
2. The viewfinder -is the area on the camera that you look through in order to compose your shot.

AF Point- Indicates the position of the focus during AF (autofocus) shooting. The selected AF
point will be highlighted in red. You can choose to select an AF point automatically or manually.

Shutter Speed- indicates the time interval during which the shutter is open.

Aperture Value- This value indicates the extent to which the aperture blades inside the lens are
open. A smaller value the aperture means is more widely open, which allows more light to be captured.
The selectable aperture value range varies according to the lens in use.

The ISO speed -setting varies constantly when the Auto setting is selected. A higher ISO speed makes it
easier to capture shots of a dimly- lit scene.

3. Aperture- is referred to the lens diaphragm opening inside a photographic lens The size of the
diaphragm opening in a camera lens REGULATES amount of light passes through onto the film
inside the camera the moment when the shutter curtain in camera opens during an exposure
process

4. The shutter release button -is the mechanism that “releases” the shutter and therefore enables
the ability to capture the image

5. The body -is the main portion of the camera, and bodies can be a number of different shapes
and sizes.

6. The image sensor -converts the optical image to an electronic signal, which is then sent to your
memory card.
7. The memory card- stores all of the image information, and they range in size and speed
capacity. The main types of memory cards available are CF and SD cards, and cameras vary on
which type that they require.

8. The LCD screen- is found on the back of the body and can vary in size.

9. A flash-is a device used in photography producing a flash of artificial light at a color temperature
of about 5500 K to help illuminate a scene. A major purpose of a flash is to illuminate a dark
scene. Other uses are capturing quickly moving objects or changing the quality of light.

10. User Controls- The controls on each camera will vary depending on the model and type. Your
basic digital compacts may only have auto settings that can be used for different environments,
while a DSLR will have numerous controls for auto and manual shooting along with custom
settings.