These theories are good to know and some of them might help you out when you feel stuck with some image. Be aware though that they can also take away the originality from your work if you rely too heavily on theory. I've seen people change a strong composition to more generic and boring just because the theory says it's better this way.
Then again if you are a concept artist in a big game company, your consistent art that looks the same as the next guy's might be exactly what they want.
All in all I just wan't to warn you not to rely too heavily in theory and encourage you to trust your own vision for what looks good.
What can you do with composition?
- Guide the eye to some area or point.
- Create more aesthetic images with arrangement of elements
Phi - the golden number
Here is a site that finds phi in everything..
Phi is used to divide the image in to chunks that makes the image pleasing to watch.
This has been used since the building of pyramids.
Theory in practice
Ok, I admit, that theory is a bit thick and math heavy. I think it's better to look at those theories through examples to give you a better understanding what all that means.
The following examples are taken from this site:
http://production.4filmmaking.com/cinematography7.html
I've collected some examples from there, but you should check it out if you want to know more.
Shapes
You can use simple geometric shapes to help your picture composition. Can you see the triangle you get by connecting imaginary lines between the three nuns? This triangle adds strong visual unity to this picture.
Simplicity
Look for ways to give the center of interest in your pictures the most visual attention.
Simplify your pictures and strengthen your center of interest by selecting uncomplicated backgrounds, avoiding unrelated subjects, and moving in close.
Lines
It's a simple and easy path for the eye to follow to the main subject. You can also use repetitive lines to draw viewers' attention to your center of interest.
This sculpture has some beautiful lines, but they're obscured by the busy background. Let's simplify this picture by moving our camera viewpoint in close to the base of the sculpture.
Curves
One of the most common and graceful lines used in composition is called the S curve.
Balance
Good balance is simply the arrangement of shapes, colors, or areas of light and dark that complement one another so that the photograph looks well-balanced.
There are usually several ways to arrange or balance your subjects. You may choose the style on the left because you'd like to convey a feeling of formality-or you may prefer the more relaxed informal pose. They're both well balanced.
Framing
What we mean is to frame the center of interest with objects in the foreground. This can give a picture the feeling of depth it needs to make it more than just another snapshot.
Whether or not you use a frame for a picture will depend on each new subject. What you choose as a frame for the scene will, of course, vary as well.
Near mergers may not be quite as objectionable, but they can steal attention from your center of interest. Near mergers are objects or lines that are just too close to the principal subject. In this case the ball and umbrella tip are near mergers.
Repeating elements in image is a good and easy way to tell the viewer what he/she is looking at. You can show only a small part of an element in the foreground but as you go towards the background you can incrementally reveal what that element looks like.
Repeating elements is also a very good way to show scale of things.
No comments:
Post a Comment