OMG!.....more compositions rules

Previously, I have shared one of the composition rules, which is the Rule of Thirds. In this post, I will briefly describe the next 3 rules; (1) balance of elements, (2) leading lines, and (3) symmetry and patterns.

Dam Square, Amsterdam; the lion statue is the main object, the column is the balance object

How do we balance the elements? The rule of thirds suggests that a more interesting photo can be created by placing the subject off-center. The problem with this rule is it will leave a void in the scene, thus, the photo looks very empty. What you can do is to fill in the space with less important object (especially at out of focused). This is what we called BALANCE OF ELEMENTS.

The lamp post is the main object, the door arc is the balance object

Human eyes looking at a photo, it is naturally drawn along lines. Lines can be man-made or naturally occurred. These lines will pull us into the picture towards the subject or directed the journey through the landscape. Examples of lines include straight, diagonal, curvy, zigzag, radial and others. Each of these LEADING LINES has the potential to enhance our photos.

Amsterdam canals; lines towards the tower, see how your eyes were directed to the tower

Amsterdam; this photo has two lines, look how these two lines disturbed your focus

Similar to lines, SYMMETRY AND PATTERNS are man-made or natural. They can make eye-catching compositions especially when there is a distortion of symmetry or pseudo-asymmetry. Breaking of patterns in some way will introduce tension, which will pull our focal point to the photo.

A bakery in Amsterdam, see how the bicycle breaks the symmetry of the facade

Comments

Converting Bedside Table to a Portable Wash-Stand (IKEA Hack)

What to do if a ready made furniture is not able to fit in the space that is available? Your choice will be either build a customised furniture or hacking a furniture for a different purpose. Hacking a furniture will cut almost 70% of the work required to build a customised furniture from zero. Here, I share a step-by-step process on one of my DIY weekend projects converting bedside table to portable wash-stand. What will be required for this project? Tools (e.g. saw, metal ruler, hand drill), sand paper and brushes for wood work, base furniture to be hacked, water-resistant paint and metal knob. STEP 1. Get some ideas on the design and materials by visiting several furniture galleries/shops. For example here, the idea was from an IKEA wash basin base cabinet, Lillangen. The material mainly particleboard, which might not be that suitable for Malaysian humidity and bathroom practice. For that reason, I choose solid wood material the project. The dimension of the IKEA cab

Too dark...too bright....

Too dark or too bright.....this is due to poor exposure of the sensor to light. Is it a problem if my photo is too dark or too bright? May be yes and may be no, depends on what you want in your image. If the photo is too dark (underexposed), you will loss the detail of the shadow. If the photo is too bright (overexposed), you will loss the texture of the cloud and sky. Exposure is a combination of two fundamental settings: the aperture opening and the shutter speed. Aperture opening is the function in your lens and the shutter speed is the function in your camera. Optimal exposure can be achieved with many combinations of aperture opening size and the shutter speed, BUT each combination will have differences in depth of focus, motion blur and etc. How this exposure can be controlled? The answer is by having a good understanding of the combination of aperture and shutter speed. Shallow depth of focus, focus point was on the middle broccoli, focal length of 50 mm, large aperture ope

Cranberry and Raisin Scones....simply yummilicious

The scone baking project was to fulfill the weekend afternoon, and not because of the "doughnut story".....hihihi. Here I share the basic scone recipe. As I have mentioned earlier "Now everyone can bake", as such the recipe is easy to follow. Ingredients: 2 cups plain flour 1/3 cup sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter 1 egg (medium) beaten with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/3 cup whole milk 1/2 cup raisins 1/2 cup dried cranberries 1:1 ratio of egg:milk wash Method: Pre-heat the oven to 180-200C. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs (photo 2) and then follow by the egg and vanilla. Add in the milk slowly to form a firm soft dough that can be roll out. Stir until the dry ingredients are moistened. Add in the dried cranberries and raisins. Roll out the dough on floured surface to 2 cm thickness. Using a 5 cm round scone cu

Travel, Interior Decoration, Photography and Food

Search This Blog