Composition and Movement

This composition is fairly straightforward. I composed it in conformance with the Rule of Thirds, dividing the frame so that the horizontal element divides the bottom two thirds from the top third. The vertical element divides the left third from the right two thirds.

The bottom two thirds are heavier and weightier (bicycle, building) than the top third (less building, skinny street sign), so the photo feels anchored to the ground, not top-heavy.

Notice how the bicycle is placed more toward the left of the frame and the sign more toward the right. Those two elements balance one another.

Notice the movement, too, as your eye goes from the sign down to the bike and back up again, back and forth, back and forth.

GEOMETRIC ELEMENTS

The elements in my photo are all very straight, linear, square, rectangular. See the two black vertical rectangles toward the upper right and the two white vertical lines lower left? See the rectangular stones on the building and the square pavers on the sidewalk? All that linearity is softened just a bit by the one round bicycle wheel.

FOCAL POINTS

Because the bicycle wheel is round and because the street sign is white, they become focal points. They contrast with the other elements in the scene: The round wheel stands out against all those straight lines, and the white sign stands out against all that monochromatic grey and brown.

MY THOUGHT PROCESS

During my visit in Cambridge, my practice was to get up around 5 a.m. and go for a two-hour walk. The streets weren't crowded, lighting was soft and overcast, and it gave me some solitary time. By the time I got back to the house, my non-photographer compatriots were up and about and making breakfast. Perfect!

My "theme" of sorts for my Cambridge visit was "bicycles." So when I saw this bike against such a weathered and textured building, I stopped to check it out. I liked the bike but I also liked the street sign. How to incorporate them both into one shot?

Choosing a vertical format, I put the bicycle down at the bottom and then walked closer and farther away until I could include the sign as well.

The key thing (for me) is to solidly identify exactly what it is I like about a scene and then figure out how to fill my frame with just that and nothing else. I've been doing this for so long that it's instinctive. I don't stand there thinking, "Okay, I need some weight at the bottom and lighter elements at the top." I'm not that structured. Instead, I think, "Oh, a bike! Great building. Love the sign up top. Okay, let's put this together. Keep out the superfluous elements as much as possible." By identifying precisely what I like, the rest falls into place.

I use the Rule of Thirds all the time, figuring that's where I begin. You can't go wrong, really, using the Rule of Thirds. Then once that's done, begin exploring other possible compositions.

So there you have it. A scene that's nicely lighted, that has movement, that has texture, structure, a monochromatic look, dark elements with one lighter one, and straight lines with one circle.

WHAT ABOUT YOUR WORK?

Take a look at some of the photos you've taken lately. Or your paintings. Or your sketches. Analyze them. Ask yourself where your eye goes in the composition and why. Are there things in the piece that don't add to your composition? That clutter it up? Is the lighting splotchy and distracting? Is your image unbalanced? Top-heavy?

Once you become more aware of what you're doing and why, the better your instincts will be when you're out in the field. It'll all come naturally to you. You'll be more relaxed. A beautiful combination of right-brain/left-brain thinking and acting.

©Carol Leigh, who wages left/right battles on a daily basis