I'd like to pass on a brief lesson in composition I got many years ago.

My father was an artist (BFA & MFA in sculpture). We lived north of Chicago and often went to the Art Institute (where he wanted to teach but they couldn't pay him enough). He talked about a lot of artsy stuff, and I suppose some of it rubbed off but the details are long forgotten. What I remember most clearly is how he defined good composition.

He'd have me look at a painting or sculpture and describe what my eye did as I looked at it. He said if your eye travels smoothly from one place to another, all around the piece, isn't drawn outside it, and doesn't stick in one place, that's good composition. So my criterion is whether the elements in a picture draw the eye around in circles and ovals, in toward the center (or main subject), back out toward the edges, and then back again. If that criterion is met, the picture typically also meets other more detailed criteria for good composition.

I can agree with that for the most part, except where you mention that it draws your eyes in circles or ovals into the center or main subject. Your eyes can be led in many directions and definitely not always into the center of the photograph. An example is that most landscape photographs, especially in the portrait format, will lead the eye from the bottom of a photograph to the top. Usually with a foreground object emphasized in the bottom of the photograph that draws your eye initially and then draws your eye into the background (a sunset, sky, mountain range ect.)

This reminds me of "Rule of Thirds." A general composition rule that places the subject outside of the center of the photograph.

quote BearBrown: "I can agree with that for the most part, except where you mention that it draws your eyes in circles or ovals into the center or main subject. Your eyes can be led in many directions and definitely not always into the center of the photograph. An example is that most landscape photographs, especially in the portrait format, will lead the eye from the bottom of a photograph to the top. Usually with a foreground object emphasized in the bottom of the photograph that draws your eye initially and then draws your eye into the background (a sunset, sky, mountain range ect.)

This reminds me of "Rule of Thirds." A general composition rule that places the subject outside of the center of the photograph."

We're saying the same thing.
Note I said the center OR the main subject (which is typically not in the center). The center is often a visual "hole" that the other elements sort of orbit and may have nothing of interest in it.

Good thread. I just saw this and thought, what if I attached a photo I thought had good composition and see what you thought>

quote labman: "Good thread. I just saw this and thought, what if I attached a photo I thought had good composition and see what you thought>
"

Maybe I'd rather hear what you think about it. What makes it a good composition in your mind?

This is a great thread; maybe we can resurrect it and continue the conversation.

I think one of the things that can detract from a beautiful scenery photo is the lack of an object in the foreground. I was a little bit dissatisfied with the picture above because I did not do a better job of positioning my self to incorporate the canoe in the lower right foreground more fully.



This picture would be far less interesting if it did not have the overhanging branch in the foreground.



Here is one of my favorites. In a subsequent picture with exactly the same composition I used a fill flash to sliminate the harsh shadow on my son's face, but I think the shadow actually adds an interesting element and makes this one the better picture.