This week’s challenge is from P.A. Moed who asks us to produce some images illustrating compositional techniques that make it possible to focus on the subject. She provides us with some excellent techniques to accomplish this.
Here at left, and in the featured image above, the subject is a circular outdoor staircase at Grace Farms in Connecticut. The abundant leading lines and curves of the staircase create a dynamic focus. The subject couldn’t be anything but the entire staircase.
This photograph of a window in an old house illustrates Get Closer and Isolate the Subject. I could have taken a picture of the whole house, or the entire side with this window. By isolating this small part, we can better appreciate panes of glass and their reflections, the old wooden shutters, and the trellis alongside the window.
This recently featured shot of a red lotus bloom illustrates Get Closer and Vary Subject Placement, as well as Selective Focus. The flower stands out by virtue of the simple, somewhat out-of-focus background and the placement of the flower off-center. This is all made possible by getting close up to the flower rather than shooting the whole pond or many flowers. The slight tilt to the right in the stem and flower also help by keeping the eye in the frame.
This picture of a cedar tree benefits from getting very close to the tree and isolating the focus on this small portion of the tree trunk. The image further benefits from the depth created by the out-of-focus background at right.
Those are my images this week. Thanks to P.A.Moed for another enjoyable and educational challenge.
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