8 IMPORTANT Composition Tips for Better Photos

Summary

本视频由Squarespace赞助。视频讨论了摄影构图的重要性，并提供了8个简单技巧帮助初学者改善构图。这些技巧包括找到正确的拍摄位置、使用手机辅助构图、警惕三分法则、简化画面、注意画面边缘、后期制作中的调整等。视频强调实践和学习构图规则的重要性，鼓励摄影师通过不断尝试和练习来提升自己的视觉理解能力。

Takeaways

• 📸 **定位是关键** - 拍摄时，摄影师的位置和被摄对象的位置都至关重要，改变任何一个都可能改变照片的感觉和故事。
• 🔄 **多角度尝试** - 不要总是默认在眼睛水平线上拍摄，尝试不同的角度和位置，甚至跨一步或者爬高一点。
• 📱 **使用手机辅助构图** - 利用手机屏幕来帮助构图和预览照片的色调，这样可以更好地将三维视觉转换为二维图像。
• 📏 **三分法的警示** - 三分法是构图的一个好起点，但不应过分依赖，要注意整体的平衡，包括色调、色彩和对比度。
• 👀 **模糊或眯眼看** - 通过模糊或眯起眼睛来观察，可以帮助你看到抽象的色彩和形状，更好地平衡照片。
• 🤔 **概念与视角** - 思考你想要传达的信息和观众的感受，拍摄角度可以改变主体的表现和观众的情感联结。
• 🎨 **保持简洁** - 避免在画面中包含过多无关的细节，保持背景简单，让主体充满画面，以强化故事性。
• 🚫 **注意画面边缘** - 避免在画面边缘切割人物的手臂、头发或其他物体，保持边缘的整洁，以减少分散注意力的元素。
• ✂️ **后期制作中的工作** - 不要害怕在后期制作中进行裁剪和调整，以获得完美的构图，同时也要注意捕捉瞬间。
• 👩‍🎤 **实践出真知** - 学习构图规则并通过实践来吸收它们，最终它们会成为你直观视觉理解的一部分。
• 🔗 **Squarespace 赞助** - 视频由 Squarespace 赞助，它是一个全能的网站建设平台，适用于专业摄影师、设计师等。

Q & A

视频赞助商Squarespace提供的服务有哪些？

Squarespace提供网站建设、域名注册和在线商店搭建等服务。

摄影构图中提到的“三分法”是什么？

三分法是一种摄影构图技巧，将画面分为九宫格，将主题放置在交叉点上以增强视觉效果。

黄金螺旋与斐波那契序列有什么关系？

黄金螺旋是一种构图工具，其比例关系基于斐波那契序列，这个序列中的相邻数字之比趋近于黄金比例。

如何使用引导线来提升照片的构图？

引导线是通过画面中的线条引导观众的视线，可以是直线或曲线，用来增强照片的视觉吸引力和深度。

动态对称在摄影构图中的作用是什么？

动态对称是一种构图技巧，通过在画面中创造平衡和对称来增强照片的和谐感和视觉稳定性。

为什么观察其他摄影师的作品对提升构图技巧有帮助？

通过观察其他摄影师的作品，可以学习他们如何应用构图规则，以及如何通过不同的视角和方法来讲述故事。

为什么说学习所有网格系统和比例只是视觉工具箱中的一个工具？

因为摄影构图是一个复杂的过程，除了学习网格系统和比例之外，还需要考虑色彩、光线、情感表达等多个方面。

拍摄时改变摄影师的位置为什么会影响照片的感觉和意义？

改变摄影师的位置会改变观众对主题的视角和感受，不同的拍摄角度可以讲述不同的故事，传达不同的情感。

为什么使用手机屏幕辅助构图是一个好方法？

使用手机屏幕辅助构图可以帮助我们更好地将三维世界的感知转化为二维图像，同时可以模拟不同的曝光和色调效果。

在构图时，如何处理画面中的对比度、色彩和明暗？

在构图时，需要考虑画面中的对比度、色彩和明暗的平衡，它们都会对照片的整体感觉产生影响。深色和饱和色彩会显得更重，而高对比度的区域会吸引观众的注意。

后期制作在摄影构图中扮演什么角色？

后期制作可以用来调整和优化照片的构图，例如裁剪、重新调整水平线、去除分散注意力的元素等，以达到更好的视觉效果。

Outlines

00:00

📸 摄影构图入门：理解构图规则

本段落介绍了摄影构图的基本规则和原则，强调了构图对于拍出优秀照片的重要性。首先提到了多种构图技巧，如三分法、黄金螺旋、斐波那契网格等，但也指出这些规则可能会让初学者感到困惑。随后，通过分析不同摄影师的作品和摄影奖项的入围作品，发现许多优秀作品并不完全遵循这些规则。最后，给出了8个简单的构图技巧，帮助初学者改善构图，如找到正确的拍摄位置、使用手机辅助构图、注意构图的整体平衡等。

05:01

🎨 摄影构图进阶：打破常规

这一部分讨论了摄影构图中的一些常见误区和过度依赖规则的问题。提到了规则如三分法可能会导致画面不平衡，强调了在构图时要考虑画面的整体感受，包括色调、颜色和对比度等因素。同时，建议摄影师在拍摄时跟随直觉，不要完全依赖于构图规则。还提到了在构图时要考虑故事性和观点表达，如何通过角度和构图来传达特定的情感和信息。

10:03

✂️ 后期制作与实践：完善构图

最后一段落强调了后期制作在完善摄影构图中的作用，提倡摄影师不要害怕在后期对图片进行裁剪和调整，以获得更好的构图效果。提到了一些后期技巧，比如翻转图片、改变颜色、使用克隆图章工具等，来消除画面中的干扰元素或使画面更加平衡。同时，鼓励摄影师通过实践来掌握各种构图规则，让它们成为直觉性的视觉理解的一部分。最后，感谢了支持者和赞助商Squarespace，介绍了Squarespace作为一个全能型网站托管平台的优势。

Keywords

💡构图

构图是摄影中的一个重要概念，指的是在照片中安排各个元素的艺术和技巧。在视频中，构图是提高摄影水平的关键，通过学习不同的构图规则和技巧，可以使照片更具吸引力和表现力。例如，视频中提到的'三分法'和'黄金螺旋'都是构图的常用技巧。

💡摄影

摄影是指使用相机捕捉光线并记录图像的艺术和技术。在视频中，摄影不仅仅是按下快门，更是一种通过视觉元素讲述故事的方式。摄影师通过学习构图、光线、色彩等技巧，来提升自己的摄影水平。

💡三分法

三分法是摄影构图中的一种常用技巧，通过将画面分为九宫格，将主题放在交叉点上，以达到平衡和谐的效果。然而，视频中也提醒观众，单纯依赖三分法并不能保证照片的完美构图，还需要考虑整体的色调、色彩和对比度等因素。

💡黄金螺旋

黄金螺旋是一种基于黄金比例的螺旋形图案，常被用于艺术和设计中，以达到美学上的和谐与平衡。在视频中，黄金螺旋是提到的一种高级构图技巧，但使用时需要注意不要过于依赖，而应结合实际情况和个人直觉。

💡动态对称

动态对称是一种构图技巧，通过在画面中创造对称或近似对称的元素来增强视觉效果。视频中提到，动态对称是众多构图规则中的一个，摄影师可以学习这些规则，但最终的目的是表达自己的视觉故事，而不是机械地应用规则。

💡视角

视角指的是摄影时相机或观察者的位置和角度，它对照片的视觉效果和情感表达有着重要影响。在视频中，改变视角可以改变照片的感觉和故事，例如从高处拍摄可以创造一种客观的、俯瞰的视角，而从低处拍摄则可以赋予主体更强的权威感和力量感。

💡简洁

简洁是指在构图时保持画面的清晰和不杂乱，去除无关的元素，使主题更加突出。视频中强调，画面中的每个元素都应该与故事相关，简化背景和去除多余的细节可以帮助观众更好地聚焦于照片想要传达的核心信息。

💡后期制作

后期制作是指在拍摄完成后对照片进行的编辑和调整过程，包括裁剪、调整色彩、对比度等。视频中提到，后期制作是摄影的一个重要环节，可以帮助摄影师修正构图中的问题，增强照片的视觉效果。

💡手机摄影

手机摄影是指使用智能手机进行的摄影活动，随着手机摄像头技术的发展，手机摄影已成为一种流行的摄影方式。视频中提到，使用手机屏幕来构图可以帮助摄影师更好地将三维视觉转换为二维图像，是一种实用的学习工具。

💡赞助商

赞助商是指为视频、活动或项目提供资金或其他支持的个人或公司。在视频中，Squarespace作为赞助商，提供了一个网站建设平台，使得视频制作者能够创建和管理自己的网站。

Highlights

视频由Squarespace赞助，适用于需要建立网站、域名或在线商店的用户。

摄影构图是拍出好照片的关键，但学习构图规则可能会感到复杂和困惑。

规则如三分法则和黄金螺旋等可能难以掌握，但它们只是视觉工具箱中的一个工具。

观察启发你摄影的照片中这些规则的应用，可能会发现它们并不总是符合传统规则。

改变拍摄位置或视角可以改变照片的感觉、意义和讲述的故事。

使用手机屏幕辅助构图可以帮助你更好地将3D视觉转换为2D图像。

三分法则是构图的一个起点，但不应过度依赖，要整体考虑照片的平衡。

构图时要考虑色彩、色调、对比度的权重，以及它们如何影响照片的整体感觉。

拍摄时要考虑概念和情感层面，思考你想让观看者产生什么样的感受。

保持简洁，避免在画面中包含过多无关细节，确保每个元素都与故事相关。

注意画面边缘，避免切割人物的手臂或头发等，以保持焦点集中。

后期制作中进行调整可以帮助获得完美的构图，不要害怕使用后期工具。

实践是关键，通过不断学习和实践，构图规则最终会成为你直观视觉理解的一部分。

视频制作者感谢Patron的支持者，并推荐了Lightroom预设包。

视频制作者介绍了使用Squarespace建立的网站，并提供了优惠链接。

Transcripts

This video is sponsored by Squarespace.

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So you're looking to improve your photography,

and you're rightfully told the composition is the key to a great photo.

You proceed to read up on compositional rules

and you realize that there's a lot to learn.

The rule of thirds seems quite simple, but then there's a golden spiral

and you're not entirely sure how to use that.

And then there's a grid that looks a bit

like the third grid, but it's slightly different.

People call it the Phi Grid. It's got something to do

with the Fibonacci sequence, but you're not quite sure.

Leading lines seem quite simple, but then there are arabesques,

and leading lines that aren't straight, and then there's dynamic symmetry.

And you're told about some maths that you don't quite understand.

You're not quite sure how to use that

baroque diagonal and, the sinister diagonal, and the reciprocal lines.

And you're shown an Annie Leibovitz picture that seems to be overlaid

with three of these dynamic symmetry grids in a row.

And it all looks very complex and confusing.

So you decide maybe it's best to look at those photos that inspired you

to take up photography in the first place and see how these rules apply to them.

You examine bodies of work taken by a variety of well-respected photographers.

You also look at contemporary photographic journals

and a wealth of exciting imagery they offer.

You look at short list for prestigious photographic awards,

but you rarely find any examples to fit with these rules.

In fact, most of these images almost seem to read like a case study of what

not to do.

Weren't you told not to centre your subjects?

Why is there so much empty space above this person?

Surely this background doesn't help the subject stand out at all!

By this point, you're confused

and you are overwhelmed and you really don't know where to start.

Maybe you should just go buy a new lens

and see if that helps you take better photos.

The problem is the composition is a massive subject, and learning

all the grid systems and ratios is only one tool in your visual toolbox.

I'll probably make other videos focusing on specific elements of composition

in the future, but for now, let me give you 8 simple tips

that will hopefully get you started on improving your composition.

#1: Get YOUR position right.

Every representational photograph has two key factors.

Firstly, the position of your subject or subjects and secondly, the position

of the photographer and by extension, the position of the viewer.

Now, changing either

one of these can change how your shot feels, what it means, what story it tells.

Now, this may sound simple and obvious, but a lot of people really do

overlook trying the same shot from different positions.

Don't always default to shooting at eye level.

It's how we see the world every day, and there's nothing wrong with that.

But it's not always the most interesting angle.

Once you've composed your shot, stop.

Evaluate everything in your frame.

Is everything exactly where you want it to be?

Are there any elements or areas that shouldn't be there?

If not, change it.

This may mean just taking a sidestep to the left or to the right.

It may mean climbing up something to get a higher vantage point.

It may mean crossing the street.

Be vigilant and rigorous with yourself.

A small bit of effort here can mean the difference

between a mediocre shot and an absolute masterpiece.

Remember to shoot portrait aspect ratio as well.

Portrait aspect ratio draws attention to objects in the foreground

and use landscape format for a more natural

feel as we often use our eyes this way unless we're looking up at something tall.

Take multiple shots in a variety of different ways.

Push yourself out of your comfort zone a bit.

It's all about finding that position where all the elements

in your shot work together to create the feeling you are aiming for.

#2: Use Your Phone.

Most of us have a camera phone these days, and one of the biggest hurdles

you have to overcome when learning how to compose

and visualize an image is being able to translate what we see, moving, in 3D,

without these borders into a stil,l flat, two dimensional image

because we have two eyes, we see three dimensionally.

And so we have a greater perception of depth than a photograph can communicate.

Our brains can easily filter out distracting background elements

because we can see them as further away.

And when you flatten that down to a 2D image,

those distracting background elements can become much more prominent

and take away from what you want the viewer to look at in your photograph.

Using your phone screen to compose an image can be really helpful.

When shooting on my Pentax 67, for example,

if I'm using a black and white film, I'll often set my phone to black and white

and I'll pinch into the screen to match the field of view that my 10

mm lens offers (which is around about 60mm equivalent on a full frame camera.)

This way I can see the world framed, and in 2D.

I can see how colors translate into tone and I can also tap different

areas of the screen

to see how the image would look if exposed for the highlights or for the shadows.

This isn't cheating.

It's using tools at our disposal to help us get the best shot possible.

Think of this more like an exercise in learning.

The more we practice shooting like this, the more we'll

start to naturally translate what we see into 2D composition.

It's a great learning tool If you want to improve your ability

to naturally visualize a photo in your mind's eye.

#3: Beware the rule of thirds.

If you look up any tutorials, articles, tips on photographic composition,

you will likely be met with the rule of thirds right at the top of the list.

Now, the rule of thirds

is a great little shorthand to start you thinking about composition.

But understand, just because you place the subjects at one of those intersection

points of the grid, this won't guarantee you a balanced composition.

You must think about your shot as a whole.

One thing I see a lot when the rule of thirds is

used is too much empty space on one side of the image.

It can lead to the image feeling unbalanced.

And there's also more to balancing your shot

than where you place elements within the frame.

Tone, color and contrast also all have weight.

Darkness feels heavier than light.

Saturated color feels heavier than pale hues.

Areas of extreme contrast draw the eye

when composing a shot as well as lining things up mathematically.

Look for where the areas of contrast are.

Look where the darker tones are.

Consider how your image feels as a whole.

Does it feel like it's tipping too much to the left or to the right?

Consider compositional rules when finding the perfect place to take your shot from.

But don't go against your gut feeling.

If something feels right in a certain place

but doesn't immediately make sense to you, then just go for it.

There's probably a reason it works that you're not yet aware of.

Compositional rules are like a scientific formula.

You can use them in art, but first you must know why.

If you want your image to look classical, use a classical compositional technique

like dynamic symmetry.

But you don't need to use these all the time.

Learn them, but be mindful about when you use them.

Don't fall back on them just because you know them.

Think firstly about what you are saying before you decide how to say it.

#4 — a nice, simple one — Whenever you go setting up a shot, squint or blur

your eyes, this will help you see abstract color and shape and form.

We're so used — as human beings — to reading the world around us

that sometimes it's

very difficult to take that step backwards and look at it in a more abstract way.

But squinting or blurring your eyes will help

you see where the contrast the areas are that help you see where the most saturated

and the light areas are.

And this can really help guide you in setting up a nicely balanced shot.

#5: Think conceptually as well as athletically.

Why are you shooting what you're shooting?

What do you want your viewers to think when they see your shot?

What do you want your audience to feel?

Everything about the way you compose an image will tell part of a story.

For example, the angle you shoot from can change how a subject is represented.

Being up high, looking down can detach the viewer emotionally.

It becomes more of an overview shot.

Very matter-of-fact. It's a slightly godlike position.

Looking down on the world below, the viewer is a privileged observer

and not part of the scene.

If you shoot from ground level,

then you are part of the scene, and by extension, anyone viewing the shot.

A low shot, looking

up at the subject, can give that subject a sense of dominance and of power.

Cropping in close to someone's

face can make a shot feel more intimate and more claustrophobic.

Having a subject surrounded by a lot of space can make them feel more

vulnerable and more defined by their environment.

Sometimes moving

further away or using a wider lens can add some wider story to your shot.

Decide whether context is important.

Are you making social or political commentary about the subject you're shooting?

You might want to consider showing something in relation to its surroundings,

but when making your subjects smaller in the frame, be careful,

as your subject should probably still be the focal point of your image.

You can achieve this by using light, contrast, color,

leading lines, or any of the other tried

and tested techniques to draw the viewer's eye to your subject.

Maybe employing those mathematic or compositional rules

will make your image feel perfectly balanced.

But what if you don't want it to feel perfectly balanced?

What if you want your viewer to feel uneasy

because of the subject matter of the photograph?

Always consider

what you want your image to say before you decide how to say it.

#6: Keep it simple.

In slight contrast to my previous point about showing wider context,

a really common compositional mistake I see is people

including too much irrelevant detail in the frame.

Everything in the frame should be relevant.

It should be part of the story.

If it's not, get rid of it.

Look for simplified backgrounds with fewer distracting elements.

Try making your subject fill the frame.

The act of composing a shot is in itself a form of editing.

Your audience won't know what they can't see.

Throwing stuff away can be difficult,

but it can also be very liberating.

#7: Watch the edges.

Pay particular attention to the borders of your frame.

Try not to cut off people's elbows or the top of someone's hair or

the top of trees or buildings or whatever it is you're photographing.

Distracting elements at the edge of the frame can draw

the viewer's eye away from your point of focus.

So try and keep them clean.

#8: Work in post.

Don't be afraid to also work in post-production

to get that perfect composition.

You can crop. You can re-level your image.

Of course, it's better to do it in camera, but you have quite a lot of options

in post-production.

Taking time to compose your shot is important,

but so is not missing the moment.

The more you crop in

post the better you will become at judging composition in camera.

Try testing your shot by flipping the image into a mirrored view.

Try inverting the colors.

Try turning it upside down.

Does it still feel balanced?

And while cropping in post is great.

Also, don't be afraid to Photoshop out elements that are making your shot

unbalanced or creating tension by being too near the edge.

Is there something brightly colored in the background

that's drawing your eye from the subject?

Change its color.

Desaturate it or simply clone it out.

That's why the clone stamp is there.

Steve McCurry does this all the time.

You could argue it's cheating.

And by all means, follow your own set of ethics and values,

but be aware that you are making things harder for yourself.

It's up to you.

But the key thing here is practice.

There are so many compositional rules that you can't possibly consciously

think about every single one, every time you take any photograph.

But do take time to learn them.

Do take time to practice them.

Learn one at a time.

Go out and try practicing that particular one.

And eventually you'll absorb them all

and they will become a natural part of your intuitive visual understanding.

So a massive thank you to everyone who supports me on Patron.

You guys are the absolute best.

And also a big thank you to anyone who's bought my Lightroom preset packs,

because those both help fund this channel and keep me making videos.

If you want to have a look at my presets,

then I'll put a link down below this video which will take you to my website.

My website was built on Squarespace, which is the sponsor of this video.

Squarespace is an all in one web hosting platform.

I've been using Squarespace for many years,

and so do many professional photographers, designers, filmmakers etc.

There's no software or patches to install.

It's all done through your browser,

so you can easily update your site from wherever you are

as long as you have an Internet connection.

You can easily keep up to date with your analytics, or you can even manage sales

through your site as the offer a range of ecommerce tools.

The website templates are really nicely designed and are customizable,

but you can also paste in your own bespoke CSS code if you want to add some

extra functionality like I've done here wth this 'before

and after' slider to show my Lightroom presets.

So if you want to give Squarespace a go, they offer a completely free trial.

So you just go to Squarespace.com

and you can start building your site and see how easy it is.

And if you like it, you can go to Squarespace.com/JamieWindsor

to get 10% off your first purchase of a domain or website.

I'll see you next time.