Beyond the Rule of Thirds…… Using Dynamic Composition
I recently took on the challenge of shooting a fashion collection for Moreno Marcos Couture. This involved capturing six models in the one frame. Faced with the design challenge of creating a visually appealing and compositionally interesting image, I sort knowledge in my classical training as a painter.
I also looked at the work of the amazing Annie Leibovitz the leading photographer for amazing large group images.
As an artist I have studied for many years the classical rules of composition from the mathematical Golden Mean of the Ancient Greeks, to the often relied upon modern tool for photography, the “Rule of Thirds”
In both cases the image is composed within a rectangle similar to the fame of a photograph and therefore this suits the aesthetic of the human eye.
What is the Rule of Thirds?
The rule of thirds is very commonplace in photography. It instantly helps to add tension, balance and interest to your photograph but applies equally to the composition in painting.
When creating a landscape composition this is what you do:
Divide your page horizontally into 3.
Decide whether to have your horizon on the top third or the bottom third (the bottom third is always easier to balance, it helps to make the sky look vast and imposing).
Split the vertical into thirds.
Align areas of focus at the intersection between the lines.
In this composition the reliance on the rule of thirds gives simple composition. The bottom third is used to line and hold, the opposite models together. Using the negative space between the models to create balance and repetition of the design on the wall along the thirds holds the image together.
Yet, many elements of this image do not comply with this simple rule, such as the model placed in the centre of this image. If so then why does the image work?
What is the Rule of Odds?
What we also have learnt about composition is that the eye loves odd numbers! Any composition with 1,3,5,7,9 always gives a better more interesting composition for the viewer and creates more balance rather than splitting the image. This is perhaps why the “Rule of thirds” can not be used in isolation without consideration to other design elements.
What are design Elements?
The various visual elements, known as elements of design, formal elements, or elements of art, are the vocabulary with which the visual artist composes. These elements in the overall design usually relate to each other and to the whole art work.
The elements of design are:
Line — the visual path that enables the eye to move within the piece
Shape — areas defined by edges within the piece, whether geometric or organic
Colour — hues with their various values and intensities
Texture — surface qualities which translate into tactile illusions
Tone — Shading used to emphasize form
Form — 3-D length, width, or depth
Space — the space taken up by (positive) or in between (negative) objects
Depth — perceived distance from the observer, separated in foreground, background, and optionally middle ground.
What do line and shape do?
Lines are optical phenomena that allow the artist to direct the eye of the viewer. The optical illusion of lines do not exist in nature, but in visual arts elements can be arranged to create this illusion. The viewer unconsciously reads near continuous arrangement of different elements and subjects at varying distances. Such elements can be of dramatic use in the composition of the image.
Subject lines contribute to both mood and linear perspective, giving the viewer the illusion of depth. Oblique lines convey a sense of movement and angular lines generally convey a sense of dynamism and possibly tension. Lines can also direct attention towards the main subject of picture, or contribute to organisation by dividing it into compartments.
Compared to straight lines, curves provide a greater dynamic influence in a picture. They are also generally more aesthetically pleasing, as the viewer associates them with softness. In photography, curved lines can give gradated shadows when paired with soft-directional lighting, which usually results in a very harmonious line structure within the image.
You can see using the blue lines in the composition that patterns and rhythms were formed in the image reflecting the lines and shapes within the composition to both anchor the subjects and move the eye around the image. The use of line helps to explain this composition but still does not fully explain a complex image with multiple focal points.
Principles of organisation
The artist determines what the centre of interest (focus in photography) of the art work will be, and composes the elements accordingly. The gaze of the viewer will then tend to linger over these points of interest, elements are arranged with consideration of several factors (known variously as the principles of organisation, principles of art, or principles of design) into a harmonious whole which works together to produce the desired statement – a phenomenon commonly referred to as unity.
Geometry and symmetry.
Related to the rule of odds is the observation that triangles are an aesthetically pleasing implied shape within an image. In a canonically attractive face, the mouth and eyes fall within the corners of the area of an equilateral triangle. Paul Cézanne successfully used triangles in his compositions of still lifes. A triangular format creates a sense of stability and strength.
Creating movement
It is pleasing to the human eye for it to constantly move around the image. Using the techniques stated above you can try to avoid a static composition. I sort to move the eye around the image using these lines and symmetry.
What is Dynamic Composition?
To create a truly dynamic and engaging composition, all of these rules must be used in the consideration of the image. When working with a large group of models I had to be mindful of the final image as I placed the models and posed them in the frame.
Using the Rule of Odds, I carefully constructed smaller groups of three forming triangles within the larger frame of the image. In this way the image has interest and individual elements come together in the eye.
The use of dynamic lines to link the groups forms triangular shapes that not only add interest but lead the viewers eye around the image. The direction of the models arms, legs, and gaze all take the viewer on the journey across the final image.
With the triangles in place we can now see there are many elements at play in this image. The four focal areas identified from the rule of thirds can now be seen in the context of a larger more complex design. The angles and lines reflected by the models limbs, gaze and posing also reflects these design elements.
The red triangle demonstrates the use of the models faces to create an interlaced dynamic composition. The blue triangle in reverse also demonstrates the use of line and ties the individuals together into the composition.
As we explore the white triangles, we can see the odd numbers used to group the sub groups together to create interest. The use of the diagonal ensures that the viewer is taken to all sections of the final image and yet gives a calm and balanced image.
The final element used in the image was the balance of colour and tonality to link the various elements together and create unity in the final image.
I hope you have enjoyed learning a little more of the considerations of the photogrpaher in creating such an image.
