Having Symmetry in Photos

Symmetry is an important asset to making photographs look amazing. This blog will be centered around symmetry. Symmetry in photography creates balance in by splitting a photo into different parts. I will be using Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs by Henry Carroll to help try to master using symmetry in my photos.

"Symmetry isn't simply a case of composing your image like an ink blot. It's about creating an overall sense of harmony and balance. Placing your subject in the middle of the frame is a good way to create symmetry. Just be warned: there's a fine line between balance and boring. If everything is to perfectly mirrored, an image can feel a little soulless" (Carroll 20).

Here are two photos I took that have symmetry:

    








The photo on the left has symmetry because the main subject is centered. Also a line can be drawn down the middle which splits the image. The photo on the right has symmetry because the main subject is centered. In both of my photos I tried not to over use centering so that the photos wouldn't look boring but they look balanced.

Thank you for reading this blog! Hopefully you learned why symmetry is important in photography. Don't forget to leave a comment and answer the question!!! :)

Question: How does symmetry make a photo look balanced?

Citation: Carroll, Henry. Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs. Laurence King Pub. Ltd., 2014.

Leading Lines

Welcome back! This blog's topic will be centered around leading lines. Leading lines is a technique where the viewer's eyes is attracted to lines that lead directly to the main subject of a photo. This is a way to draw attention to photos. Having leading eyes causes the viewer's eyes to follow the direction to where the main subject is instead of just looking at a photo normally. I want to be able to use this technique in my photos and I will be using Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs by Henry Carroll as a guide. 

"Great compositions take you on a journey. Your eyes are guided around the image on a specific path, leading to where the photographer wants to take you. Use leading lines to give your composition structure and draw the viewer to key elements" (Carroll 10).

Here are photos I took that have leading lines:



                                                                              

                                               
The image on the left has leading lines because the rope is directing your eyes up to where the parasail is. The image on the right has leading because all of the kites are all flying in the same direction.

Thank you for reading this post! Hopefully you learned about how important leading lines are in photography. :) Don't forget to leave a comment and answer the question!!!

Question: What do leading lines add to a photo?

Citation: Carroll, Henry. Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs. Laurence King Pub. Ltd., 2014.

                                                 

Having the Right Depth of Field

I'm back! I've already discussed about composition and lighting in my previous blogs but this blog will focus on the depth of field. What is the depth of field? Well the depth of field is the distance between the nearest and farthest objects in a scene that appear acceptably sharp in an image. This very important in photography because it determines what areas of the photo will be in focus. Using the very helpful book Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs by Henry Carroll I will be experimenting with a shallow depth of field and deep depth of field.

"Depth of field is at its most shallow when shooting close-ups. By throwing an area of your image out of focus you're effectively getting rid of detail. This causes your subject to really stand out" (Carroll 44).

"A narrow aperture causes everything from the foreground through to the background to be in focus. A deep depth of field helps communicate the scale and detail of the landscape" (Carroll 48).

Here are two photos that I took that represent a shallow and deep depth of field:

Shallow Depth of Field

Deep Depth of Field

The photo on the left is an example of a shallow depth of field because the ice cream is in focus while everything else in the background is out of focus. The photo on the right is an example of a deep depth of field because the detail of the entire landscape can be seen. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my post and hopefully you learned something about depth of field! Stay tuned for more and don't forget to comment and answer the question! :)

Question: Which is depth of field is better for taking landscape photos? Which depth of field is better for taking portraits?

Citation: Carroll, Henry. Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs. Laurence King Pub. Ltd., 2014.

Having the Right Type of Lighting

Hey guys I'm back with another blog! Today's topic will be centered around lighting. Lighting is major when taking a photograph. It determines how bright or how dark a photo will turn out. Personally the best lighting to me is using natural light and it's what I use in almost all my photos. But I want to learn how I can use different types of lighting for my photos. According to Henry Carroll author of Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs there is hard light and soft light. 

"Hard light comes from one direction and is typical of a spotlight or bright sunshine. Due to its intensity, one of the most common traits of hard light is high contrast. Hard light causes anything in its path to become a highlight, while everything remains dark" (Carroll 62).

"Soft light is less intense meaning there isn't such a stark divide between the highlights and shadows. Soft light still casts shadow as it very often comes from one direction, like hard light. But the shadows aren't nearly as dark and dramatic. Rather then being void of black, detail is still very visible" (Carroll 64).

Here are two photos that I took which represent hard light and soft light:

Hard Light 

Soft Light

The photo on the top is an example of top light since there is a high contrast and since this was taken at a concert everywhere is dark except for the stage where the light is being directed to. The photo on the bottom is an example of soft light since there's less contrast and it has that 'soft' look. Also everything is in detail there are no dark areas. 

Thank you for reading this post and hopefully you learned something about lighting like I did! Stay tuned for more and don't forget to comment and answer the question! :)

Question: Does the setting of where you want to take a picture affect how the lighting will turn out?

Citation: Carroll, Henry. Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs. Laurence King Pub. Ltd., 2014.

Having the Right Composition

Photos are everywhere today. It is always on social media and we're always taking photos. So I've decided to pick the book Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs by Henry Carroll. I want to learn how to improve my photography skills and take more aesthetic photos. Also learning how to take better photos is going to make my Instagram look great! Because who wouldn't want a cool looking Instagram feed?


"When lining up your shot, it's your subtle movements that will make everything slot in to place- a little lower, a touch to the left, a couple of steps back. When composing your image avoid passive areas that don't add much" (Carroll 25).

This section of the book is focused on composition which is a major skill in photography. So before I take a photo I want to make sure everything is in place and is in frame. I also want to make sure that unnecessary areas that won't add detail are not included in the photo.

Taken in Portland Oregon

Taken at Over the Rainbow Tea Bar

In these two photos that I took I followed Carroll's advice on having proper composition. I took a few steps back moved left to right to make sure everything I wanted to include in the photo was in frame and I made sure that those areas I included added detail. Composition is just one out of many skills in photography I hope to continue to improve in many other skills as I move along. Thanks for checking out my first post and stay tuned for more! :)

Question: What does having proper composition add to photos?

Citation: Carroll, Henry. Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs. Laurence King Pub. Ltd., 2014.