Strong composition is key to taking a mundane photo and turning into an amazing piece of art. Using your environment creatively and experimenting with different angles are all incredible ways to highlight your subject and really bring your story to life. The tools of composition are almost endless. From leading lines, to framing, using negative space and scale, and so many, many more.
Learning to implement these tools into your photography can really transform your work. The work you have all shared for this topic this month has been outstanding! But then again, it always is in this group 😉 Here are some of the photos shared that stood out the most for me. Congratulations to all are featured artists. And as always, thanks so much for sharing!
Gear: Nikon D810, Tamron 24-70mm, f2.8
Settings: ISO 125, f4.0, 1/2500, 24mm
The Shot: We were finally able to step outside to get some fresh air after many days of poor air quality and being cooped indoors. All I had to do was just let her be and run free. To take this shot I crouched down and snapped as she ran. I used the leading lines from the decking and the tall grass as framing and also leading in. I also like the movement of her hair showing she is running.
Post Processing: I took this into LR and adjusted WB. I added a base present and tweaked shadows, highlights and upped the contrast. I then added a radial filter for some punch.
Gear: Canon 6D mii, Sigma 35mm Art lens.
Settings: ISO 1600, f/2.5, 1/1000.
The Shot: I shot this standing over my son on a step stool while he lay on the floor. The hardest part of composing this shot was convincing him to let me put the cucumbers over his eyes, which I did by telling him that it was an eye treatment to give him night vision. I also had to promise that he could stay up late to test out his night vision on a walk to see the full moon tonight. I think it was worth it!
Post Processing: Edited in LR to transform slightly vertically and line him up using the rule of thirds. Finished in PS to remove a logo from the yoga mat, sharpen him a bit, and add some richness to the colour.
Gear: Sony a7ii, kit lens at 30mm
Settings: ISO 64, f6.3 (I'm a newb at self-portraits and didn't want to miss focus), 1/000
The Shot: I've been looking around my house for interesting light and framing opportunities, and I can't believe I never noticed how the light comes in the stairwell like this for about an hour a day. Set up my tripod and used a remote app on my phone.
Post Processing: I straightened it out and warmed the tones. I deepened the shadows a little, but that mostly happened in-camera thanks to the dramatic real-life lighting.
Gear: Fujifilm X-T20, XF18-55mm
Settings: 1/4000 sec at f/2,8, ISO 800 18 mm
The Shot: While walking in a park noticed a pretty spot and positioned my son there, it’s a miracle that he found something interesting and stopped for a couple of seconds so I could use leaves for a frame
Post Processing: All I’ve done for this photo just put my own preset in LR and darkened the greenery in HSL
Gear: Canon EOS R with Sigma Art 35mm 1.4
Settings: f5.6, 1/500 ISO 100
The Shot: My girls planned a Friday arvo trip to the point and I was hoping for a lovely golden hour down there, but instead a storm rolled in and we got glorious moody skies and this stunning double rainbow
Post Processing: Very minimal editing, just a base preset in LR and a bit of a straighten
Gear: Nikon D850 + sigma 85mm 1.4
Settings: F/1.8, 1/640, ISO 100
The Shot: She loves to jump into these puddles, she did it about 20 times, she was wet all over afterwards
Post Processing: Enhanced the colors quite a lot, i used a radial filter from top down and increased the saturation in the trees - i used a radial filter on her, too, and brightened her to bring her more into focus
Gear: canon 6d mkii, sigma art 35mm
Settings: f/4, 1/500, ISO1600
The Shot: I walked past this room and noticed my son putting together the rainbow stacker that had been left by the window. I love this room so I asked him to hang there for a minute and I ran and grabbed my camera and grabbed a shot of him sitting waiting for me
Post Processing: In lightroom I applied a TBO preset, darkened the shadows and lifted exposure on my son
Gear: Nikon D7500, Tamron 18- 270 mm
Settings: SO 200, f/4, 1/25 sek
The Shot: I was taking photos and she came to say hello. I used the fence to frame her and to give context of where we were.
Post Processing: Cropped and did some tweaks in Lightroom including using the Take Me Home preset.
Gear: Canon 6D 35mm
Settings: ISO 100 f/2.8 1/1000s
The Shot: I was really drawn to the lines of the dock and the reflections in the water. I asked my daughter to run up and down the dock while I crouched low and snapped away.
Post Processing: In Lightroom I applied my base preset with some tweaks. I used a brush and radial filter to bring out my daughter more. And brushes to emphasis the changing colors of the leaves and add more contrast onto the reflections. In Photoshop I added a tone overlay for more pop and a LUT to fix the colors.
Gear: Canon 5Dm3, 135mm
Settings: f2.5, 1/250, 2000
The Shot: My son was eating breakfast and I noticed the morning window light was hitting the wall behind him, framing him, and creating a shadow that added visual balance to the image.
Post Processing: converted to bw in lightroom
Gear: Huawei P20 phone.
Settings: f4, iso 125, 1/900.
The Shot: I wanted to capture my daughter walking to her ju jitsu lesson. I settled on this composition, using the old building as negative space. I didn't have my camera so I just used my phone instead.
Post Processing: Edited in LR mobile with Elena Blair outdoor preset, increasing the clarity to bring out the brickwork and then cropped.
Gear: Canon 5DIV, Canon 24-70 f/2.8
Settings: 33 mm, 1/500, f4.5, ISO 500
The Shot: I had some extra time before an appointment in town so went for a wander. It was a miserable, grey day and the warmth of this restaurant caught my eyes.
Post Processing: In LightRoom I straightened it, increased the exposure, fiddled with the white balance and colours in the HSL panel, increased contrast and decreased shadows. In PhotoShop I made a composite with one customers head and further played with the white balance selectively.
