Wednesday, June 12, 2013

3 legs, or a problem with photographic composition

I use this photo to engage in some self criticism because this illustrates a shortcoming of my photography skills.  I sometimes overlook the principle of "separation" in composition.  If there are multiple objects in a photo, there should be separation between them to make it clear where one object ends and the next one starts.  They should not overlap or partially conceal each other.

There are two separation problems with this composition.  The two surfers on the left overlap each other.  Even worse, the figure who is the second from the right appears to have three legs, as a second person is obscured behind her, except for one of her legs.

I am kicking myself with regret over this composition problem because I returned from Ireland a week ago, and as I go through my photos I am so sorry that I did not have the boldness to move slightly a candlestick on a fireplace mantle in a farmhouse that I photographed.  After all, I was a guest. The candlestick partially covered up an old family photo, next to medals awarded to the farmer's grandfather in the struggle for Irish independence.  I did not maintain separation between the candlestick and the old family photo.  Thank you for indulging me in this therapy.

This week we have photos of Lake Nicaragua posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

4 comments:

Sharon said...

Oh Dave, you are way to hard on yourself. I still find this picture very interesting with those colorful boards going in every direction and the reflection in the water. And, I might add, your Ireland photos that you sent on your link are outstanding!

Judy said...

We are all more critical of our own photography than others. The way I see it, sometimes you just have to take the shot and hope for the best or miss the shot altogether. I think this is a fun shot even if one person is hidden.

Memphis MOJO said...

If this is one of your worst, you've nothing to worry about.

I often take a shot, for example, of someone playing poker. Then I look at it in and see water bottles, coffee cups or whatever that look awful. Don't even notice them at first.

PerthDailyPhoto said...

I agree to a point Dave, but you have to look at the good points too, there's a lot a lot of fun going on here, a really good vibe, not to mention the vibrant colour and super reflections..personally I think the three legs are tres amusing :)

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...