The photography securely occupies its niches in the society of photo editors and news photographers, wedding and professional photographers, collectors…
The digital photography that appeared recently, let everybody feel himself a photographer. However, in spite of popularization of the photography this art has not lost its “mysteries”, ingenuity and fair beauty, and the number of true photographers has not increased.
At the first sight it seems that it is very easy to shoot pictures: just take a camera, direct the sight and press the button. But the secret of the true photographic art is in the fact that the visions of a scene by a man in the street and photo-artist are absolutely different. The latter is capable of seeing an essence of the scene, something unusual, and working on the edge of the reality and illusion permanently swinging in and out.
A camera like a pen of a writer may be either a powerful weapon that laughs, exposes, shows the topics of the day, or just “a soapbox” shooting same parties and “fellows” against fuzzy images of rickety houses…
To make pictures means to create a world. Besides the personal creative senses the photographic art employs certain artistic devices that facilitate creation of a real image.
The following 13 devices of the wide-variety of those employed by the artists may transform your photo picture regardless of the model of your camera and your skills:
1. Silhouette – an outline of a solid body received by placing this body between the camera and source of light. Any subject may become an excellent silhouette: lamp-post, human-being, tree, building, boat, mill … The most important is not to overload the background with details, and add perfection to the silhouette isolating it in the scene. 2. "Line of beauty» – visually looks like letter S, which may be either vertical or horizontal. A figure, bouquet of flowers or forest road looking like “the line of beauty” facilitates reading the picture because “the line” just guides the eyes.
3. Isolation of main thing – an important artistic device for news and artistic shooting, all elements of the picture should “play” for the main subject determined by the photographer. The isolation means include the light, color, background defocus and composition. Without this “main subject” your picture will be empty and senseless.
4. "Golden section " – an artistic device for creation of visually harmonic and visuable pictures. The image is to be divided into 9 equal sectors by vertical and horizontal lines. The mesh is used for the best positioning of meaningful elements. It is correct if the subject is positioned in the right or left third part from the frame edge. Positioning in the center is acceptable only for photo documents; in all other cases the image will be too static and not interesting.
5. Principle of comparison. This principle is easily perceived by our mind and arrests our sight if we see a contrast – big and small, young and old, bright and dark, smooth and wiggly, close and far, etc. A similar principle is “contrast of eyes” of two subjects in the picture. It is not good if the eyes of two and more people in the picture are on the same line.
6. Careful use of diagonals in frame. According to psychological perception of the image, a line running from the top left corner to the right lower corner generates a discomfort feeling, a feeling of descent. Therefore it is important to be sure that the diagonals in the frame run “upwards” from the top tight corner to the left lower one if you do not want an effect “of descending”.
7. Perspective view. In its nature the photography generates flat images that have only height and width. But actually all subjects are 3-D, therefore try to create an illusion of the third dimension, the depth. To this end, you should isolate three subjects in the frame – in close, mid and distant views. There is a linear perspective, which is expressly visible when two parallel lines converge to one point (road, railway).
8. Illumination and color play. The color in picture is more than a reality in colors; the color has a magic power to induce a definite reaction. The impact may be generated by comparison of contrast colors (a bright yellow car against a blue garage door, a crimson house in line of grey buildings). The illumination is an important element that may change proportions, isolate the subject or details and create a define association. Try to catch a sundog on the face of the subject or locate the subject at the window, and you will get an affecting picture.
9. Framing – a natural framing of the subject (window, door, ravine, etc.) may be either on the foreground or background scene. The framing may be a unique artistic device to intensify the main subject. Pigeons flying apart, sunbow, tree arch, own hands may be an interesting framing of the face or figure.
10. Shadows in frame – an excellent but little-known artistic device. A shadow like an image may generate definite associations and emotions. It is a comparison of true and imaginary, real and mysterious.
11. Guide lines in frame – it would be easier to perceive the picture if all lines of the background converging to the main subject. Out of studio, the lines are everywhere: buildings, furniture, rails in metro. It is important to see the world through the lens, see not only the subject but also the background. In this case the lines will not hamper but will assist you to build a scene.
12. Movement in the frame is created by directing the lens after the moving subject while using a low speed. The subject in the picture will be still but a bit blurred that looks like movement. It is necessary to have a free space in front of the moving subject (a car, skater, pistol shot, dirt drops) to generate more dynamics.
13. Scripting may be either passive (waiting, observation) or active (actor placing, communication with them, their psychological control). In any case the picture will looks like a story whether it is a servant with a tray falling over a beautiful lady or homeless passengers expelled from a metro car).
If you use at least 2-3 devices in one frame your picture will be outstanding. A bit of fantasy and fresh view at usual things will open to you an unusual world of photography. Good luck!
