Creative Nature & Outdoor Photography

by Brenda Tharp

  YOSEMITE FALLS, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA. It’s always interesting to me how things just “fall” into the right position! When I framed this scene of Yosemite Falls, the cascading water ended up very close to the right imaginary line in that rule of thirds grid. 17–40mm lens at 30mm, f/ 14 at 1/50 sec.

  the rule of thirds

  The phrase “rule of thirds” is used to describe a guideline for composition. Photographers took this rule from painters who had determined that pleasing compositions resulted from dividing the picture space into a 2:1 ratio—for example, two-thirds land to one-third sky, and that it brought order and stability to a picture. The formula of asymmetrical division evolved to become a standard in photographic composition, and you can use it to help make your photographs more harmonious.

  Divide your 35mm photograph into thirds with two equally spaced imaginary lines, both horizontally and vertically, like a tic-tac-toe grid. This creates nine equal spaces in the picture. Place points of interest, objects, or elements on or near where the lines on the grid intersect, or anywhere along one of the imaginary lines. This placement commands attention and directs the eye away from the center of the frame, creating a more dynamic composition. For example, place a horizon line one-third in from the top or bottom of the frame aligning it near the imaginary horizontal line in that area. Place a vertical line, such as a flagpole or tree, one-third in from the left or right side of the frame. The intersecting points are the strongest positions within the frame; however, where you place your subject depends on the rest of the elements in the scene.

  How the viewer enters the picture space can be an important factor in your deciding where to place your main subject. In Western cultures, we tend to read from top to bottom, left to right, so we are used to entering a frame from the upper left. If you place your subject on the upper right or lower right, the eye will have to travel across the picture space to get to it and will see whatever else you intended it to see in the process. If you place your subject on the left, in that nearest intersection to that entry point, the eye will get to it right away, and unless you have other things that will draw the eye into the rest of the picture space, the visual weight will sit at that top left area and the picture will not be well-balanced. Using that position usually requires lines to lead the eye elsewhere or other objects that let it visually jump to other parts of the frame. You have to think of both the positive and negative space in the frame when determining the best placement of your subject.

  Though this formula provides a helpful guide for creating interesting compositions, don’t follow the rule so strictly that your compositions become predictable and static. It’s still important to evaluate what arrangement works best for your photograph, based on other factors that affect composition. As Ansel Adams once said, “There are no rules for good photographs. There are just good photographs.” Know when to bend the rules to build dynamic tension in your image. Even though the brain seeks balance and structure, we are more stimulated by visual tension.

  ASH AND MUD FORMATIONS, UTAH. Subject placement will often end up adhering to the “rule of thirds” area because it makes sense. This image is asymmetrically composed, using the lower right “power point” in the grid, but all the lines lead us from the top down to the little hoodoo, the hardened mud formation, making good use of the frame. 70–200mm lens at 127mm, f/ 16 at 1/6 sec.

  DOMINANCE

  ECHINACEA, MAINE. Selective focus is a great way to create dominance. By using a fairly wide aperture, I could keep the foreground flower sharp and create a separation between it and the background flowers. They support the idea of it being a garden, but the one flower stands out as the dominant subject. 70–200mm lens at 185mm, f/ 5 at 1/10 sec.

  If you’ve ever heard yourself saying, “I don’t remember seeing the fence post,” or, “The lion was bigger in real life,” there’s a good reason. The human brain scans a scene, focuses on what it finds interesting, and subconsciously disregards the rest. Depending upon your personal likes and dislikes, your brain enlarges or reduces objects and colors. The camera, however, doesn’t selectively extract information, so you end up with everything that was in the viewfinder, not just what you thought you saw. Elements you didn’t even notice may later draw attention away from your subject.

  Many years ago, I was thrilled to witness a humpback whale breaching. I shot numerous frames of it as it threw itself out of the water. However, when I got my slides back from the lab, my “giant” whale was only a “raisin” in the overall photograph. My emotional reaction to being anywhere near such an event had caused my mind’s eye to enlarge the whale. Unfortunately, the camera captured the reality of the experience!

  BISON, MAINE. This bison is huge, yet fitting all 2,600 pounds of him in the frame was not going to make a great picture because of the background. Filling the vertical frame with just his massive head was a better choice anyway. You feel his size in this image. 70–200mm lens at 78mm, f/ 9 at 1/30 sec.

  My whale experience provided me with one of my first major lessons in composition: Make sure the subject is large enough to be dominant. There are many ways to do this:

  Move closer or use a telephoto lens to increase the size of the subject and let it fill the frame. A frame-filling portrait of a bear is powerful because we think of bears as large, strong creatures. When the bear becomes the dominant element, the photo suggests a thrilling face-to-face encounter. You can even have the bear go off the edge of the frame to emphasize its size even more.

  Select a camera position that isolates a subject from a messy or merging background. Photographing an object from slightly overhead and angling downward can eliminate an otherwise distracting background, while photographing from a low viewpoint can isolate the object against the sky or some other simple background.

  Use selective focus, with an aperture that minimizes depth of field, to make the subject stand out from the background.

  When photographing a landscape, place an interesting element in the foreground to create a dominant focal point.

  Compose your scene so other elements support or draw attention to the main subject.

  CAMEL, EGYPT. These two pictures show how repositioning yourself, or waiting for a different moment, can make all the difference. Even framed tightly, with the camel sitting, I had a cluttered background with too much contrast. But when the camel stood up, I could fill the frame with its head and get a clean background. The upward viewpoint helps express dominance. 70–200mm lens at 130mm, f/ 8 at 1/160 sec.

  As you work with composition, you’ll probably be surprised to notice the many ways various elements affect dominance. For instance, a small object will appear dominant in a field of larger ones, and an object that breaks up a pattern will also become dominant. A dominant color can draw attention away from the main subject, and since the eye is drawn to the brightest areas of a scene, an area of brightness can dominate any scene.

  BALANCE

  REFLECTIONS, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA. Sometimes, symmetry is what the picture is all about, as was the case here along the Merced River in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The band of yellow leaves that undulates above the rock creates a pathway for the eye that keeps the composition from being too static. 20–200mm lens with 1.4x at 210mm, f/ 13 at 1/3 sec.

  Balance is harmony, or a sense of equilibrium. If you thoughtfully arrange the elements in a scene—keeping in mind that every object or element in a photograph has a particular visual weight determined by size, shape, location in the frame, color, and other properties—you can create a balanced photograph. But do you always want that? Would you really want an image of white-water rafting to be perfectly balanced? Or would you prefer a little imbalance, some visual tension, to convey the excitement of the moment? While the eye seeks harmony and equilibrium, providing the opposite can be stimulating.

  There are two types of balance: symmetrical and asymmetrical. With symmetrical balance, everything is oriented rather evenly around the center
of the picture. Imagine a scene reflected in water, composed with the water’s edge centered in the frame, with “reality” above the center and the reflection below. This is a symmetrical composition. In a picture that is too equally balanced, a visual stasis can occur, and the resulting photograph can lack impact and beg for an element that breaks up the monotonous order. I rarely create a totally symmetrical composition, though on some occasions the scene is stunning enough to be worth it.

  Asymmetrical balance provides the articulated energy that I want my photographs to possess. With asymmetrical balance, elements of different size or proportion offset, or counterpoint, each other. To achieve artful asymmetry, you can balance a small object with a large one or a dark object with a lighter one, or offset negative space with space that is visually “full.”

  THREE CHAIRS, ITALY. This view out my third-floor window of the Tuscan villa was of these chairs and table. I made six trips up and down the stairs to get the positioning I wanted for an asymmetrical balance. Who said photography isn’t a workout? 24–105mm lens at 85mm, f/ 16 at 1/80 sec.

  The eye and brain like odd numbers of objects, in keeping with this asymmetrical concept. Three or five leaves as a subject is often more dynamic than two leaves. With just two elements, you have potential visual tension with neither one “winning” as the main subject. If you have only two objects, consider having them overlap or put them very close to each other, as this can make them appear as one, which helps.

  Visual tension develops from the interaction of elements in a photograph. One object may be more dominant, but another object can command enough attention to force you to look at it. The resulting tension stimulates the eye, as it keeps moving between the objects in the image. For example, a red tulip amid a field of yellow ones will create visual tension. The yellow tulips may dominate the composition spatially, but the eye will still be drawn to the red tulip by its contrast to its surroundings.

  The term negative space refers to an area within the frame that is empty of detail, such as a solid blue sky or a blank wall. The proportion of empty space to your subject and other elements is a delicate balance that you have to work out with each situation. If the negative space is too large, the eye is drawn away from your subject. Light areas really pull the eye, yet even neutral tones can create an imbalance if they are too large in proportion. You can also have too much dark space, such as a shadow without detail, which creates a visual vacuum that draws the eye away from the subject. Yet too little space can make the subject appear to be crowded in the frame. Just becoming aware of the negative space in your composition will help you develop your own intuition about how much “feels” right for every situation.

  YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA. The visual tension in this scene is created because the leaves on the rocks draw our attention, as does the reflection of the light-colored wall. But since the wall “points” downward, it leads us back every time we drift up to the light-colored cliff. 70–200mm lens at 90mm, f/ 16 at 1/4 sec.

  REEDS IN POND, MAINE. I like to emphasize the empty space in some compositions. Here, with the meditative colors and quiet surface of the pond, it just made sense to me to create a lot of space for the eye to travel over to get to the reeds. Don’t be afraid to put negative space in your pictures; just try to create an effective balance between negative and positive space. 70–200mm lens at 120mm, f/ 16 at 1/2 sec.

  PROPORTION

  BLACK BEAR IN THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS, TENNESSEE. Controlling the proportion of elements in your scene can help convey scale. If we know the relative size of a black bear, we can surmise that this rock wall in the tidal zone is pretty tall. By giving more space to the wall in proportion to the bear, I’ve suggested that it’s a tall or high wall of rock. 100–400mm lens at 330mm, f/ 5.6 at 1/160 sec.

  Proportion can help you express symbolism. A frame filled up with pumpkins, squash, and gourds suggests the variety of the harvest. A photograph of the same subjects arranged so they stretch far into the background suggests the abundance of the harvest. A sense of how to use proportion derives from what you want to say about a scene. Is it the sky that’s screaming for attention, or a cluster of giant columbines at your feet? Is it the size of something that you want to express? Once you decide that, you can create a proportional relationship of the elements to articulate your idea.

  An object doesn’t have to be large to command attention. In fact, the smaller a subject is in relation to any surrounding objects and the more contrast it has to those objects, the more dominant the subject can become.

  I regularly use proportion to establish relationships that express my ideas. I emphasize an object or element by making it larger in the frame, but I do so purposefully and make sure that overall balance with other objects remains.

  BARN AND CLOUDS, OREGON. Although normally the red barn would dominate a scene like this, by keeping it smaller and having the white clouds above it, the balance changes a bit, and visual tension occurs. 70–200mm lens at 200mm, f/16 at 1/100 sec.

  CABIN IN THE SMOKY MOUNTAINS, TENNESSEE. The old cabins in the Smokies often housed families of nine or twelve people. They stand as sentinels to days past and the rugged life of those times. I tried to show this small homestead against the larger space of nature surrounding it. 70–200mm lens at 169mm, f/ 16 at 1/3 sec.

  SCALE

  DENALI NATIONAL PARK, ALASKA. The woman in red, visible in the bottom left-hand corner, gives the viewer a sense of scale in this scene. 28–135mm lens, at 35mm, f/ 16 at 1/60 sec.

  Scale, meaning the difference in size between various objects, is conveyed by the exaggerated proportional relationship of objects in the scene. Scale depends upon proportion for its effectiveness. If you want to show something is small, you’ll want to keep it small in the frame in proportion to other elements.

  Scale can express the height of a cliff or the smallness of a flower. When photographing the mountains in Denali National Park in Alaska, I was thrilled to see a woman in red walking up the trail. I photographed her along the trail, with the scenery behind her. But it got even better when she turned away from me and sat down to take it all in. I got a picture that expressed the vastness of the park when compared to her. Even though she’s tiny in the frame, she stands out because of that red sweater.

  GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE, CALIFORNIA. Photographing for a visitor guide cover, I had to make a “powerful” photograph of the Golden Gate Bridge. Using a 500mm lens, I composed tightly on the tower. This made the bridge dominant, and powerful. But the picture really came together when a small group of people walked out on the overlook and a man pointed at the bridge. Their size, in contrast to the bridge’s size in the frame, gave the scale that expressed the strength of the bridge. I was so lucky that two of them were wearing red, and it didn’t hurt that I had the moon in the frame, either. Good things come to those who persist. 500mm lens, f/ 16 at 1/125 sec.

  LESS IS MORE

  AUTUMN REFLECTIONS, MAINE. 17–40mm lens at 19mm, f/ 16 at 1/6 sec.

  Unlike painters who begin with a blank canvas, photographers start with a full scene and have to eliminate the things they don’t want in the picture. The goal is to simplify. When you include too many ideas or elements in a composition, you end up with a disorganized collection of subjects and your main subject becomes lost in the chaos. Frequently, the real picture is within the picture that you made. Your viewfinder contains a highly competitive world of objects, and you must get rid of all that are nonessential or distracting. As photographer Pete Turner once said, “Ultimately, simplicity is the goal—in every art, and achieving simplicity is one of the hardest things to do. Yet it’s easily the most essential.” Repeat after me, “Simplify, simplify, simplify!”

  If you doubt the wisdom of this imperative, take another look at your photographs and see how many could have been improved by simplifying the composition. How often do you crop your images afterwards to improve them? Learn to crop in the camera first. Your challenge in making a good photograph is
to reduce the visual clutter, to get rid of everything extraneous. You want to have one main subject or idea in your composition, and you need to eliminate anything in the frame that does not support that subject. Nothing in an image is neutral. There’s nothing wrong with composing in the camera with the intent to crop later to, say, a panorama or square format for printing. But that’s a conscious plan, not an attempt to save the picture later from poor composition.

  Use your feet to reduce or eliminate areas of clutter in your picture. Yes, your feet—use them to move closer to your subject. As you move in, your subject becomes larger, which increases its dominance. Any extraneous elements close to the edge fall away outside the frame. It’s amazing how much this simple exercise can improve a photograph. If you can’t move closer to the subject, use a longer focal length lens to eliminate some clutter, as it narrows the field of view, which can help to simplify the scene.

  Keep an eye out for lines that may be leading the eye away from the main subject to other elements in the photograph, or to the edge of the frame. Color, too, can draw the eye away from your subject, if too bright or light.

  As you integrate the ideas of dominance, balance, and proportion into your photography, an intuitive sense of composition will develop, freeing you to concentrate on other aspects of the process. The goal is to make a well-composed photograph that’s as dynamic as possible. Between visual design, perspective, and composition, you now have many tools at hand to help you do that.