Composition
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Lesson 1 – Use Relationships To Tell The Story

Lesson 1

A compelling image tells a story. It doesn’t have to be an elaborate story, but it needs to indicate some kind of relationship with something else in your scene. Even if you have a really great subjects, it won’t be enough to carry the image if you don’t show some kind of context. 

This context is we call STORY.  

In other words, your photo needs to SAY something.To make this happen, you need to suggest or imply a RELATIONSHIP with your subject and something else in the frame.

Usually this involves including a SECONDARY SUBJECT ELEMENT in in your photo. This secondary element plays off of your main subject and helps create a sense of place and it adds flavor to the photo.

In addition, a secondary element adds depth to your shot, because it gives your viewer something else to focus on besides just the one thing. It creates implied visual pathways in your frame. 

Your viewer’s eye will track back and forth between your main subject and your secondary subject(s) as they explore the frame and search the meaning or STORY you’re presented them with.

This is what you want, because anytime you’ve invited your viewer to stay engaged with your photo, you’ve gone a long way toward making a successful image. 

Your relationship or STORY can imply any number of concepts. Here are just a few:

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    Place
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    Size
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    Context 
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    Similarity
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    Contrast
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    Proximity
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    Depth

In the example photos, notice how the subject plays off of the other prominent element in the frame.

Creative Challenge #1

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    Find a subject that interests you and shoot it on its own. Then look for something else in your screen that you can use to play off of your main subjects and include that in your frame. 
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    It can be something in the background, or it can be the background itself. 
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    It can be subtle, or it can be a prominent subject on its own.
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    It can be in sharp focus, or you can use a limited depth of field to make it out of focus.
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    If you’re having trouble finding a good second element, ask yourself you’re drawn to the scene. Pick one of those concepts I just listed above and try to tell that story. 
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    Above all, strive for simplicity. Don’t clutter your frame. Include just enough information to tell your story and call it good. 


Want More?

Check out this blog post for some more tips on how to compose compelling photos.

In the next lesson, I'll talk about how to abbreviate a scene.

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