Photo Composition Basics

Fill out this worksheet after you watch the presentation. STEP 1 - LEARN Fill out this worksheet after you watch the presentation.

Worm’s-eye view | Zach Tuttle, Wichita Independent School, KS The photographer got down low to take this photo of the basketball team. The angle of the photo, called a worm’s-eye view, emphasizes the height of the players. Worm’s-eye view | Zach Tuttle, Wichita Independent School, KS

bird’s-eye view | Dani Najafi, Fletcher Academy, NC The photographer got up high, taking the vantage point of a bird, to snap this photo of a school team-building exercise. By climbing as high as possible, the photographer was able to capture not only the falling girl’s emotion, but the faces of her peers down below. bird’s-eye view | Dani Najafi, Fletcher Academy, NC

bird’s-eye view | Robert Colletta, Hononegah High School, IL Once again, the photographer got up high to snap this photo of a school dance. Even more admirably, the photographer planned ahead to be sure the camera was in place before dance started and could be activated with a remote. bird’s-eye view | Robert Colletta, Hononegah High School, IL

rule of thirds | Jessica Velez, McKinney High School, TX The rule of thirds is a composition technique that places the main subject off-center to allow for more visual movement within the photo. The photographer mentally divides the scene in the viewfinder into thirds, both horizontally and vertically, and then places the main subject along one of the imaginary lines or where two of the lines intersect. rule of thirds | Jessica Velez, McKinney High School, TX

rule of thirds | Taylor Alderman, Council Grove High School, KS The orange of the wrestler’s uniform falls within the rule of thirds, drawing the viewer’s eye to the action and secondarily to the referee’s reaction. rule of thirds | Taylor Alderman, Council Grove High School, KS

Leading lines| Nick Corn, Bryant High School, AR Leading lines is a composition technique that uses natural lines to direct attention to the center of interest. In this case the leading lines are created by the lane markers, tiles under the water and the swimmer’s outstretched arms. This photographer also shot this photo from a worm’s eye view using a wide-angle lens. Leading lines| Nick Corn, Bryant High School, AR

Leading lines | Jonah Boatman, Westlake High School, TX The leading line in this photo is created by the wood frame of the bike jump, which leads the viewer’s eye up to the biker and his bike. This photographer used a very fast shutter speed to freeze the action, and set the camera to take many photos per second. This strategy would allow him to select the photo that captured the action at its height, literally and figuratively. Leading lines | Jonah Boatman, Westlake High School, TX

selective focus | Jesus Chavez, Monache High School, CA Selective focus is created by choosing a lens opening that produces a shallow depth of field to creatively place parts of an image out of focus and emphasize other parts of the image. In this case, focusing on the smart phone allowed the photographer to tell more of a story with the photo. The viewer sees not only the activity happening at the front of the room, but also a bit of the crowd and a proud mom taking a photo. selective focus | Jesus Chavez, Monache High School, CA

selective focus | Samantha Slupski, Shawnee Mission North HS, KS By selectively focusing on the homecoming queen and the adult crowning her, the photographer has eliminated background distractions, which allows us to focus on her surprise and happiness. selective focus | Samantha Slupski, Shawnee Mission North HS, KS

framing | Emma Pindell, Marist Catholic High School, OR Framing is a composition technique in which the photographer snaps the photo in a way that the foreground or background objects in the picture form a natural frame around the main subject. In this case, the boy with the camera is framed by the other graduates and their caps. The splash of red behind him emphasizes him as the center of interest. framing | Emma Pindell, Marist Catholic High School, OR

framing | Molly Halter, Shawnee Mission East High School, KS In this case, the boy is framed by the desks around him. Subtle leading lines have also been created by the feet of the chairs receding back to him. Lastly, notice that the photographer got down low to use a worm’s-eye view to take this photo. framing | Molly Halter, Shawnee Mission East High School, KS

reaction| Laura Gilligan, Westlake High School, TX As humans, we love viewing photos of people showing strong emotion. One of the most difficult things to capture, it is rewarded with a captivating photo. This photographer is also to be applauded for going to an atypical team event. Though we don’t see a baseball diamond, bat or ball, we know a lot about the camaraderie and spirit of this baseball team because of the story it tells. reaction| Laura Gilligan, Westlake High School, TX

reaction | Justin McCarroll, Franklin High School, TX Don’t be afraid to capture the wide range of emotions that take place in a school. Everyone thinks of mascots as being over-the-top enthusiastic, but this photo shows the story a little differently. reaction | Justin McCarroll, Franklin High School, TX

silhouette | Florian Ricafort, Valley High School, NV Silhouette is created by placing strong lighting on the opposite side of the subject from the photographer. In most cases yearbook photography should include faces, but sometimes thinking outside the box pays off. Because the viewer can’t see the face of this specific student, the photo tells the story of hundreds of graduates. silhouette | Florian Ricafort, Valley High School, NV

STEP 2 - PRACTICE Practice the techniques you just learned while competing in this photo scavenger hunt.

STEP 3 - DO Select the best photos gathered in the scavenger hunt for use in the yearbook.