Welcome to the first installment of Photo Fridays, your weekly source of all things ski photography. I hope this article series will be something that all photographers new and old can draw things from. The sole purpose of this series is to inspire ski photographers and you can expect it to be anything from tips + tricks, to the latest news and gear pertaining to ski photography.
For this first Friday I want to keep it introductory and discuss composition, or how all of the elements in a plain of view are arranged within the boarder of the image. In today's article, we will discuss four techniques in achieving a text book good composition, including the Rule of Thirds, Leading Lines, Angle, and Framing.
Rule of Thirds
If you have any photography experience you have likely heard of the Rule of Thirds. The Rule of Thirds is simple, divide your viewfinder into an imaginary three-by-three set of cross-sections. The rule states that if you place your subject at the one-of-four intersections, the image is very likely to be more appealing to the eye. Often, new photographers like to place their subject dead center in the frame. This can work, however use it sparingly. Take a look at the image below. Notice how the skier is placed almost exactly at the the top-right intersection point. It is not always easy to do so with a moving subject; do your best and be patient, it may take a few tries.
[img=Skier: Josh Karcher // Photo: Grant Whitty]868793[/img]
Leading Lines
As humans, our eyes naturally follow lines. One of the oldest cliches in the book of photography is rail road tracks because our eyes follow the leading lines of the tracks. If you decide to shoot railroad tracks, at least be some kind of urban gap jump over the tracks. Leading lines can be very useful in framing; simply have all the lines pointing to the desired subject. As ski photographers we have a few things working in our favor for leading our eyes to our subject. Ski tracks and rails serve as great lines. Keep in mind these lines do not necessarily have to be straight, or a legitimate line. Look at the photograph below, notice how the curves of the S rail lead your eyes to the subject.
[img=Skier: Ethan Swadburg // Photo: Grant Whitty]868794[/img]
For this first Friday I want to keep it introductory and discuss composition, or how all of the elements in a plain of view are arranged within the boarder of the image. In today's article, we will discuss four techniques in achieving a text book good composition, including the Rule of Thirds, Leading Lines, Angle, and Framing.
Rule of Thirds
If you have any photography experience you have likely heard of the Rule of Thirds. The Rule of Thirds is simple, divide your viewfinder into an imaginary three-by-three set of cross-sections. The rule states that if you place your subject at the one-of-four intersections, the image is very likely to be more appealing to the eye. Often, new photographers like to place their subject dead center in the frame. This can work, however use it sparingly. Take a look at the image below. Notice how the skier is placed almost exactly at the the top-right intersection point. It is not always easy to do so with a moving subject; do your best and be patient, it may take a few tries.
[img=Skier: Josh Karcher // Photo: Grant Whitty]868793[/img]
Leading Lines
As humans, our eyes naturally follow lines. One of the oldest cliches in the book of photography is rail road tracks because our eyes follow the leading lines of the tracks. If you decide to shoot railroad tracks, at least be some kind of urban gap jump over the tracks. Leading lines can be very useful in framing; simply have all the lines pointing to the desired subject. As ski photographers we have a few things working in our favor for leading our eyes to our subject. Ski tracks and rails serve as great lines. Keep in mind these lines do not necessarily have to be straight, or a legitimate line. Look at the photograph below, notice how the curves of the S rail lead your eyes to the subject.
[img=Skier: Ethan Swadburg // Photo: Grant Whitty]868794[/img]
