Digital Photography Composition for Dummies

by Thomas Clark

Turn ordinary photographs into striking works of art Mastering the craft of composing a photograph is all about having a trained eye. Digital Photography Composition For Dummies helps emerging photographers create stunning and compelling photographs by teaching the elements, techniques, and conventions used by skilled and successful photographers. It helps advanced beginner to aspiring professional photographers gain an understanding of the basics of composing a stunning and compelling photograph, as well as the parts, functions, and capabilities of their camera.Determine the point of interest in a photo and how significance is achieved Use the "Rule of Thirds" to create better photographs Manipulate the viewpoint and understand the subject's direction of movement Master depth of field, framing, and diagonals Includes suggested exercises to apply as you become more comfortable with composition techniques Complete with full-color examples and technique comparisons, Digital Photography Composition For Dummies allows you to take the high-quality photos you've always wanted!

Genres: Photography, Nonfiction

368 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 7, 2010

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plenty of useful composition tips here. Arranged and written very well.

[David Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book I read to research this post was Digital Photography Composition For Dummies by Thomas Clark which is a very good book which I bought from kindle. This book is about planning your pictures you take on a camera so that they are artistically good. Things like you should have your main subject slightly off centre to make it look natural. You should divide your photo in your mind so there is a total of 9 segments, 3 going across and 3 going down. Your subject should only take up a third of the picture. You should also plan what is in each segment but not let it get overcrowded. Many pictures lose their aestheticism due to being cluttered. You should also think about colour and what colours match each and what colour something needs to be to stand out. Imagine you are photographing a hot air balloon, a red one will stand out on a sunny day much more than a green and blue one. Many established photographers believe it's important to break the rules governing photographs and that this helps you develop your own style. You need to know the rules in order to decide what ones to break and you can't be blase about it. Sometimes you will see something and just know instinctively it will make a great picture. That's why it's always important to carry your camera with you. There are some tricks in the book like using glycerine and a syringe to make someone look like they have droplets of sweat. A final thing worth mentioning is the most important thing about the photographs you take is that you like them and digital photography should be fun.

[Caitlín K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful for picking up tips on composition and different ways of looking at photographs. I might pick it up again once I have a camera that's actually worth anything so I can try out the different settings.

[Ed Howe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good instruction books for those interested in photographic composition.