{"id":1120,"date":"2017-04-27T10:08:45","date_gmt":"2017-04-27T10:08:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cameraexchangestore.co.uk\/blog\/?p=1120"},"modified":"2017-04-27T10:12:52","modified_gmt":"2017-04-27T10:12:52","slug":"two-new-rules-of-composition-that-can-improve-your-images","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cameraexchangestore.co.uk\/blog\/two-new-rules-of-composition-that-can-improve-your-images","title":{"rendered":"Two New \u2018Rules\u2019 of Composition that Can Improve Your Images."},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"post-full__header\">Portrait photographer <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imaginportraits.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"follow external noopener noreferrer\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">James Allen Stewart<\/a> wants to show you how to break the old rules of composition\u2026 with some new rules.In a recent video, he introduces two of his own rules that have helped him compose more interesting, dynamic images.<br \/>\n<!--more-->.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-219167 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/petapixel.com\/assets\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Whirling-Dervishc-800x563.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/petapixel.com\/assets\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Whirling-Dervishc-800x563.jpg 800w, https:\/\/petapixel.com\/assets\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Whirling-Dervishc-320x225.jpg 320w, https:\/\/petapixel.com\/assets\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Whirling-Dervishc.jpg 1200w\" alt=\"Whirling-Dervishc\" width=\"800\" height=\"563\" \/><\/header>\n<div class=\"post-full__content\">\n<div class=\"post-full__text default-css\">\n<p>Click play below to see Stewart (and his pug) go through both of the rules, and then keep on scrolling to see some example images and read about each rule individually:<\/p>\n<div class=\"fluid-iframe\">\n<div class=\"fluid-iframe__inner\"><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/zkxLh4op_oo\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zkxLh4op_oo?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0\" width=\"508\" height=\"508\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Rule 1: Balance the Darks and the Lights<\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s important to strike a balance between the dark and light parts of your image, even if this pulls you away from traditional compositions like the Rule of Thirds.<\/p>\n<p>Darks, Stewart maintains, are compositionally \u2018heavy\u2019 and draw your eye; lights, on the other hand, are much lighter and don\u2019t pull your attention as strongly. Use this relationship to strike a balance that will lead your subject\u2019s eye to the image\u2019s focal point.<\/p>\n<p>For example, this crop is rule of thirds balanced:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-219168 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/petapixel.com\/assets\/uploads\/2016\/05\/darklight1-800x653.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/petapixel.com\/assets\/uploads\/2016\/05\/darklight1-800x653.jpg 800w, https:\/\/petapixel.com\/assets\/uploads\/2016\/05\/darklight1-320x261.jpg 320w, https:\/\/petapixel.com\/assets\/uploads\/2016\/05\/darklight1.jpg 1200w\" alt=\"darklight1\" width=\"800\" height=\"653\" \/><\/p>\n<p>While this one is balanced using the darkness and light rule:\u00a0The focal point of the image is her eye, but the rule of thirds does a poor job drawing your focus there because of the dark patch in her swirling hair. The wider crop uses the dark background to balance the image and leave no doubt where the viewer\u2019s eye should land.<\/p>\n<h2>Rule 2: \u201cRead\u201d Your Photo from Left to Right<\/h2>\n<p>Most languages are written from left to right, and Stewart argues that your images should be \u201cwritten\u201d in the same way. Read the story of your photo from left to right, and see if it makes sense.<\/p>\n<p>Is it intriguing? Does it have a climax? Does it get to the focal point too soon and then drop off uncomfortably into nothing?<\/p>\n<p>In one example Stewart uses, his image originally looked like this:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-219175 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/petapixel.com\/assets\/uploads\/2016\/05\/direction1-800x516.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/petapixel.com\/assets\/uploads\/2016\/05\/direction1-800x516.jpg 800w, https:\/\/petapixel.com\/assets\/uploads\/2016\/05\/direction1-320x206.jpg 320w, https:\/\/petapixel.com\/assets\/uploads\/2016\/05\/direction1.jpg 1200w\" alt=\"direction1\" width=\"800\" height=\"516\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The story\u2014at least to Stewart\u2014is okay but it reaches its climax (the subject\u2019s face) too quickly and then drops off. By simply flipping the image, it takes on a new life as it\u2019s read from left to right:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-219176 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/petapixel.com\/assets\/uploads\/2016\/05\/direction2-800x516.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/petapixel.com\/assets\/uploads\/2016\/05\/direction2-800x516.jpg 800w, https:\/\/petapixel.com\/assets\/uploads\/2016\/05\/direction2-320x206.jpg 320w, https:\/\/petapixel.com\/assets\/uploads\/2016\/05\/direction2.jpg 1200w\" alt=\"direction2\" width=\"800\" height=\"516\" \/><\/p>\n<p>As with any composition \u2018rules\u2019 these are not hard and fast, but they offer an interesting alternative to the standard compositions you\u2019ve probably become accustomed to seeing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course the new rules are just a way of seeing things with fresh eyes and maybe approaching your work more intuitively,\u201d Stewart told us over email. \u201cAs for myself, I know I can lack \u2018the spark\u2019 sometimes, and can use methods of composition that aren\u2019t just grids\u2026 it makes your creativity flow better.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Let us know what you think of Stewart\u2019s suggestions in the comments down below, and if you want to see more of his work, visit his <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imaginportraits.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"follow external noopener noreferrer\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">website<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/james_stewart_photography\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"follow external noopener noreferrer\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Instagram<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/jamesallenstewart\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"follow external noopener noreferrer\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Facebook<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/500px.com\/jamesallenstewart\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"follow external noopener noreferrer\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">500px<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">(Source:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/fstoppers.com\/education\/breaking-rules-composition-make-your-images-more-interesting-130878\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"follow external noopener noreferrer\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Fstoppers<\/a>)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Portrait photographer James Allen Stewart wants to show you how to break the old rules of composition\u2026 with some new rules.In a recent video, he introduces two of his own rules that have helped him compose more interesting, dynamic images.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-photography-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cameraexchangestore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cameraexchangestore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cameraexchangestore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cameraexchangestore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cameraexchangestore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1120"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/cameraexchangestore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1120\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1126,"href":"https:\/\/cameraexchangestore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1120\/revisions\/1126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cameraexchangestore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cameraexchangestore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cameraexchangestore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}