Learning the fundamentals of composition is such an important step in improving your photography. A poorly composed photo has little, to no hope of being saved in post processing. There is only so much magic you can do after you've clicked the shutter, so it's important to study different compositional rules and work, work, work at implementing them in your own photography. You'll be amazed at how different you'll approach a photo opportunity after you've acquainted yourself with all these tools.
I loved looking through the Photo Dumps on our Facebook group these last few weeks. It's like a study in composition. I love seeing how other artists view the world. Here are a handful that stood out to me.
xo Angie Mahlke
Gear: Nikon D810, sigma Art35
Settings: ISO 320, f2.2, 1/80s
The Shot: I couldn’t help but to document this very different beginning of her school journey. I am sure we (teachers included) are all navigating distance learning with its challenges as best as we can! I shot this through the easel board as she was just lost in thought.
Post Processing: Edited in LR, adjusted WB and straightened. Applied a base preset, tweaked contrast and shadows. Applied a radial filter around subject.
Gear: Canon 6D Mark ii, Sigma Art 35 mm
Settings: ISO 100, f/1.6, 1/640
The Shot: I wanted to practice framing and used the overhanging branch to frame my daughter. She was out dancing in between all the trees and when she got under that branch I clicked away.
Post Processing: I flipped the image and then cropped so she would be on the right side of the ROT. Applied SMAL 01 preset. Added radial filter around her and increased exposure, highlights and shadows.
Gear: Canon 5d Mk3, sigma art 24mm 1.4
Settings: f3.5, 1/500s, ISO 500
The Shot: I used the doorway into our hallway to frame my son being led up the outside of the staircase by my daughter. I loved the repetition, shapes and lines in this. I had to shoot fast and go and grab my son before he went too high.
Post Processing: I edited to straighten up the lines, adjust the white balance and brighten my daughter a little.
Gear: Nikon D750, 35mm 1.8
Settings: 1/640 sec. f/10 ISO 160
The Shot: We went down to the beach to try and catch our first golden hour in forever and see the sun setting. My daughter wanted to run through the water and kept stopping to look for shells. With the sun setting to the left it created a beautiful light which shone over my daughter. I wanted to use negative space to draw the eye towards her.
Post Processing: I used a preset in Lightroom and then I upped my exposure. Taking the image into Photoshop. I used Dodge and Burn, curves and played around with the blue tones until I was happy with my image. The colour is much bolder than my normal style but I wanted to push myself.
Gear: Sony a99ii, 35 mm sigma art
Settings: 1/640, f3.2, ISO 400
The Shot: I shot this from the ground, and adjusted angle in Lightroom
Post Processing: Edited using Mastin labs portra pushed presets 400+1SP with tweaks for skin tone (upped the orange and red luminance sliders)
Gear: Canon 6D Mark II with Canon 35mm f/1.4
Settings: f/2.8 1/200 ISO 1000
The Shot: It was pretty dark outside since it was so overcast but the sun was setting behind this hill. There was a drop off so I was able to stand below and shoot up towards the boys. I encouraged them to run after each other. I composed with the top line on the rule of thirds and used the negative space of the grass to draw your attention to them running.
Post Processing: Edited in Lightroom with preset '2 cool 4 u' and hand edited to decrease blacks and shadows, increase contrast and vibrance and dehazed a bit to bring back detail in the sky/background.
Gear: Canon 6D Mark 2 with 24-70mm f/2.8
Settings: f/3.2 ISO 125 45mm
The Shot: I wanted to get a shot of him scooting past whilst I was on the top of the skate ramp to try and emphasise how small he was at the bottom of the slope. I actually didn't notice until I got home that he is on the exact point where all the lines meet, so literally all the lines lead to him!
Post Processing: Minimal editing in LR. I added a radial filter on him and brightened him up a bit, and then lowered the shadows a touch around him. I increased the vibrancy and added a bit of clarity.
Gear: Lumix GX9 12-40mm 2.8 lens
Settings: ISO 200 F4.5 1/320
The Shot: We live in England's second biggest city, so it always surprises people that we have these beautiful spots on our doorstep. I went for a walk with my youngest daughter. She was determined to cross the stiles independently!
Post Processing: Edited in LR using Archipelago LXC3 preset. I used brushes to decrease the exposure on the greenery in order to frame the subject further.
Gear: Nikon D7500, 35 mm 1.8 mm Nikon
Settings: ISO 500, f/4.5, 1/1400s
The Shot: I loved how he was standing at the end of the wall and looked at me. I was aiming for the leading lines, repetition and rule of thirds.
Post Processing: Cropped and did some tweaks in Lightroom including using brush strokes to make more intentional blur.
Gear: Canon 5D Mark iii 35mm lens
Settings: f2, ISO 100, 1/6400
The Shot: The sheet was hanging on the line, so I asked my daughter & two nieces to go play behind it so I could get their shadows & the sun in the background. I specifically wanted the sheet & my mother’s clothespin hanger in the image. I framed it as such. I chose not to have the subjects take up the entire frame, as I wanted a little bit of room off to the left. I utilized the rule of thirds for horizontal framing, leaving the top third for the sun & sky. I wanted the sun just peeking over the clothesline.
Post Processing: I edited this with a Goodlight preset & tweaked the shadows & contrast to my taste.
Gear: Nikon D750 and Sigma Art 24mm F/1.4
Settings: F/2.8, ISO 320, 1/1000
The Shot: Playing on the side of the road during golden hour. I asked her to stand in the clearing and twirl for me in her pretty dress.
Post Processing: Edited with SMAL01, removed grain, increased warmth and contrast.
Gear: Sony A6000 Lens: Sigma 16mm f1.4
Settings: 1/4000 F3.5 ISO 200
The Shot: We went to our yearly spot to go fishing, I’ve got a picture every year since he was 3 here. This year he was casting all by himself. My diaper bag and other poles add to the story with this dock and lake. I just Exposed at -1 to save the sky and waited for the moment.
Post Processing: Edited in Lightroom. Bumped up shadows took highlights down. Used a radial filter and brush tool to dehaze sky and take down more highlights.
Gear: Nikon D750, Sigma 24-70 lens
Settings: f 2.8 1/100, ISO 125
The Shot: This client wanted nothing to do with any of my prompting or posing, so I just let her do whatever she wanted. She climbed into a soccer net.
Post Processing: Just a bit of a D&M edit with greens pulled back.
Gear: Nikon D500 and 200-500mm
Settings: f5.6, 1/500, ISO 560
The Shot: Outside of my upstairs bathroom window is a clear view of the wild sunflowers the birds love. During the summer I pretty much leave the window open, the screen out and have a close up view of all the birds. Of course, my neighbors get a chuckle seeing me hang out of the window taking pictures!
Post Processing: Nik filters color Efex. Increased exposure and cropped to rule of thirds and emphasize leading lines.
Gear: Nikon Z6, SigmaArt 35mm
Settings: ISO 640, f1.4, 1/4000
The Shot: Had her standing on a wide window ledge (of a covered porch). Told her to do a ballet pose (she grudgingly agreed)
Post Processing: Edited in LR. Converted to B&W. Cropped a little, straightened lines. Reduced exposure, increased contrast. Darkened the silhouette. Reduced highlights and clarity.
Gear: Nikon d750, Tamaron 24-70 at 70mm
Settings: ISO 400 4.0 1/1000
The Shot: Shot from my porch on the first day of school. My younger daughter is starting middle school this year, so gone are the days of waiting at the bus together. She now walks to the corner with her big sister.
Post Processing: Edited in Lightroom: adjust exposure, highlights, and shadows a bit, increase saturation of orange and yellow, increase luminescence of orange and yellow slightly. Photoshop: retouching out phone wires, and any location specific information, slight curve adjustment, light dodging and burning, and sharpening.
Gear: Canon Mark III 24/70mm
Settings: ISO 200 24mm f2.8 1/1600
The Shot: Our first travel to Colorado and we spot this amazing lake in the middle of the day, I'm still have time with harsh light but I'm happy with how it turned it down.
Post Processing: I add more vibrance, contrast and a take off little bit o saturation.
Gear: Nikon D750 with Nikon 24-70mm at 32mm
Settings: 1/30 sec, f2.8, ISO 1000 (taken on a very cloudy, rainy day)
The Shot: I used the cabinets as leading lines and putting her in the third part of the left side of the frame. I focused and metered on the lightest part of her head.
Post Processing: I edited in ACR using a Krautkopf preset adjusting white balance just a bit.
Gear: Canon 6D, 35mm 1.4
Settings: ISO 100, f/2.5, 1/320
The Shot: I climbed up to the crow's nest of the play set and shot straight down as my daughter was twisting in the swing.
Post Processing: LR, SMAL 01 with a few tweaks
Gear: Google Pixel 3a
Settings: 1/3, f1.8, iso 3464
The Shot: There is a light that shines outside our garage window that casts the most sublime and strange shadow on the ceiling. So I used the night shoot mode on my phone to capture it late one night.
Post Processing: Edited in lightroom. Converted to black and white, dropped the shadows way down and then flipped it upside down so that the light part of the image was at the bottom to ground the composition.
Gear: Canon 6d mk ii, sigma art 35mm
Settings: f/4, 1/250, ISO500
The Shot: I'd put the rainbow stacker on the window frame knowing one of the kids would eventually go over and play with them so i just asked him to tell me what colours they all were whilst i quickly closed the curtains to frame him a little then just shot from above.
Post Processing: In lightroom i applied a TBO preset and adjusted saturation for some of the colours, i used a radial filter on my son to lift exposure a little.