Frame For Impact:
One of my favorite tricks is to use leading lines or negative space to direct the viewer’s eye where I want to. Usually towards the subjects eyes. The eyes tell the whole story, they display everything from joy to sorrow, they are truly the windows to the soul. I use the subjects eyes to suck the subject in and get a sense of their personality. Often I will shoot at really fast (low f.number) apertures so that the eyes are the only thing in focus. The rest of the image is just a side story that enhances the story behind the eyes. If you notice the first image, I lead the viewer into the frame with the vertical lines of the porch.
Composition:
Composition is very subjective. There are a thousand ways to shoot the same scene and it all depends on your personal taste. Planting the subject firmly in the middle of the scene is most people’s first reaction. Consider what is around you, planting the subject in the middle will probably be the most boring choice if there is no structure to support it. Try leaning them against the far side of a wall and shoot with some leading lines for impact. Another great option is filling the frame. If you fill the frame with the subject and leave only a hint of the background, you will still get a sense of where they are but the subject will be the focus of the image. Then there is the sure fire winner, The Rule of 1/3’rds.
The layman’s explanation of the rule of 1/3’rds is placing your subject so that the main point of focus (usually their eyes) is in the upper 1/3rd in a vertical image OR the left or right hand 1/3 in a horizontal image. Look at the bottom photo of the little girl. The human eye reads from left to right so I chose to off-center the subject so that the initial impact goes straight to the eyes and then finishes out the scene to get a sense of place, structure and texture as the finishing notes. In one left/right sweep of the eye you take in the subject eyes, the sweetness of the smile, the dress and then fade out with the rustic texture of the location. I am always looking for a building or some other structure to use as leading lines. I love using architecture to lead the viewers eye where I want it. Zooming into a subject using a low aperture like f2.8 is one of the best ways to use the subject as the impact and then blur out the rest of the background as a texture or color. The eye will gravitate towards the sharp subject and the background will create a mood without overpowering the subject.
*Impact Cropping: I coined this term to refer to leaving a little extra room when shooting in order to crop for impact in the computer later. Always try to render your scene the way you want it but anytime you go to print a 5×7 or an 8×10 (3:4 Ratio) you are going to lose information. I always leave extra room to account for this but I have to crop in post production to maximize the affect.
