Are you an amateur fashion photographer? If yes, you must be doing all it takes to enhance your craft. Here it’s essential to learn about composition. So, what exactly is composition? Simply put, composition directs our eyes through an image. It also provides the subject it’s relevance in connection with the other elements in the photo.
Composition through visual balance, flow, and direction helps to create a story and draws in the audience’s attention. It is one of the essential aspects of fashion photography and can transform an ordinary picture into something spectacular.
But first things first! You need to get the composition correct and unique. Here are four composition tips for clicking stunning fashion photographs.
The Rule of Thirds
In the beginning, it’s expected that you’ll place the subject in the middle of the frame. It can result in a bland and boring composition at times. The image becomes predictable. You can apply the Rule of Thirds here. This composition technique divides your screen in a 3×3 grid, making use of equally sized rectangles. To use this frame, start composing your subject on the line or in the one-third of the entire structure. It results in a pleasant and dynamic creation, as it focuses on the subject as well as on the backdrop.
Note the direction towards which your subject is gazing or moving! Usually, it’s a smart call to make your model/subject move towards or look at the frame. It helps you to place the subject and the background in a way that complements each other. Also, the Rule of Thirds offers the correct balance to a photograph by utilizing two-thirds of the frame section. It complements the one third frame area where you place your subject.
Minimizing clutter
If there’s clutter in your fashion photography, it will remove all the attention from the main subject or model. It could be anything from your model sporting a fall-winter collection against a contrasting background or sitting on a wooden box, against a white wall or blank backdrop. If there are any busy details in the backdrop, it can ruin the image essence.
So, should you refrain from shooting against a plain backdrop? The answer is no. You have to get careful about whether the backdrop has repeating lines and a cluttered look. The shallow depth of field is a smart way to minimize clutter and provide the necessary visual gravitas to your model or subject.
Balancing elements
The art or concept of balance gives your fashion photographs a unique pattern! For instance, you could use the Rule of Thirds and place the primary subject, away from the center. While it will create a stunning picture, there might be emptiness in the remaining frame, that can upset the image quality and essence. The solution is to balance your composition. For this, simply even out the model’s visual weight by adding any other object of lesser prominence to fill up space. Here’s its essential to learn about a few concepts:
Symmetrical balance
It’s also called formal balance and is a unique way to create stunning fashion photographs. Professional fashion photographers and advanced photography workshops suggest aspiring photographers to avert shooting their subjects with a center and front position. It is essential to give the subject it’s visual appeal.
Asymmetrical balance
Fashion photographers call this informal balance. It can get slightly tricky to explain this concept in exact terms. However, an informal or asymmetrical balance happens when there are disparate elements in the photo, and that balance each other on the frame sides. The element size, i.e., the model’s image proportion and the size of different elements in the photo, becomes irrelevant. Usually, fashion photographers juxtapose a significant element with a small one for unique compositions.
Also Read: 5 Creative Self-Portrait Ideas on Juliamalinowska.com
Color balance
Here you take asymmetrical balance a step forward using colors and experiment with it. A fashion photograph with too many oranges, reds might look overwhelming. Hence, photographers need to balance out the colors in a small space. The objective is to balance out the pastel, vibrant, and pastel shades in large and small areas. Your photograph might appear subtle and understated, but it would be soothing to the eyes. Just look at some of the images in this post about leather legging outfits and you’ll notice a plethora of color balance variations within the content.
The visual narrative
The young and aspiring fashion photographers usually commit one standard error! They fail to narrate a story through their photographs. Browse fashion magazines keenly. You will find that every fashion photoshoot has a specific theme that connects one photo with other photos. It could also be that an image has its own story. The image needs to have visual clues through accessories, colors, backdrops, the model’s expression, lighting, make-up, and the like, which tells a story. Here are some make-up tips from Magical Memories by Michelle for senior portraits.
Do you want to create a visual narrative for your images? If yes, you have to practice the capacity to evoke specific emotions in your photographs. Go ahead and study the streets, landscapes, and blank spaces against which you want to picture your subject. Start with basic human emotions such as happiness, silence, contentment, stillness, and the like. For instance, if you choose the theme contentment, don’t just ask the model to replicate the emotion. Instead, think about ways to reflect that in the photograph. Choose an object and a dominant color, which would approximate the same. You can also create a contrasting background to make the foreground concept, i.e., contentment more prominent. When you compliment the backdrop and other elements of the photograph on reflecting the primary theme, your model will get clues. It creates an overall impact that makes your photo distinctive.
No fashion photographer wants to get known for clicking generic images. Everyone wants to create their mark. The photography composition concepts mentioned above will help you to leave your imprint in your work.
This is a Guest Post by Trudy Seeger – Checkout his website: WPNeon
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