Own composition, use composition, and make composition your own in
your photographs!
Of all the magical elixirs that make up a successful photograph,
composition is perhaps the most fundamental, and at the same time the
most elusive. What makes a composition "good"? It's hard to define
exactly, but we instinctively recognize good composition when we see it.
There is an undeniable emotional response when a composition resonates
with and complements the subject matter of an image.
But traditional attempts to define "good composition" and to pass on
rules for good compositional construction are often doomed to failure.
The truth is, there are no hard and fast rules. Rules eliminate
experimentation and spontaneity, which are crucial for creating
compelling, dynamic, and exciting compositions. The best compositions
contain an element of the unexpected. "Expect the unexpected!" is
perhaps the only viable "rule" of composition. To create exciting
compositions, you must have a willingness to embrace serendipity and
change as part of your artistic practice. After all, composition is a
process, not a result.
In Composition & Photography, photographer and bestselling author
Harold Davis teaches you how to perceive patterns and abstractions and
incorporate them into your image-making process. If one of the goals of
photography is to show viewers things that are new, or things they
haven't seen before, or things they have seen many times but need to see
anew, then it's with the thoughtful and considered use of composition
that you do that.
In this book, you'll learn how to reduce your subject matter to the
fundamentals, and to show familiar subjects in unfamiliar, novel ways.
Harold covers topics and themes such as:
Composition & Photography will help you find the tools and visual
vocabulary to creatively design your photographs. Regardless of the
genre and kind of photography you practice, you'll learn to create
powerful compositions that incorporate structure and form into your work
in ways that best support your images. Along the way, Harold shows and
discusses his own work relating to each compositional element or theme
he's exploring. And featured throughout the book are exercises about
flexibility and process, designed to spur your creativity and help you
begin an internal creative discussion.
"My goal as a photography teacher and writer about photography is to
inspire and to help you become the best and most creative photographer
and image-maker that you can be."
―Harold Davis
"Harold Davis is a force of nature―a man of astonishing eclectic skills
and accomplishments."
―Rangefinder Magazine