what makes a picture a good picture?

1. Understanding light 2. Composition techniques

Understanding Light
The most essential element in photography. It is the deciding factor of whether the photograph will be spectacular or terrible.

2 Types of light
Natural Light
Dawn light Mid-morning Midday Mid-afternoon Sunset

Artificial Light
Flash Bulbs Florescent Candle light Etc..

Dawn Light - is one of the most photogenic times of day, any light present is reflected from the sky so it is very soft, shadows are weak and the world takes on a sinister blue/grey hue.

Mid-morning - light is very crisp and neutral, revealing scenes in all natural beauty

Midday - the light is very harsh and intense. As the sun is almost overhead, the lighting is very bland. People look pale and pasty and their eyes are turned into lifeless black holes by the hard shadows

Mid-afternoon - the light warms up and shadows become longer, revealing texture and modeling to give your pictures a real three-dimensional feel.

Sunset - is one of the most amazing and photogenic sights youll ever encounter

light angles
Frontlighting Diffused Frontlighting Backlighting Sidelighting

Frontlight
What is it: Its fair to say the majority of photographs taken are examples of frontlighting. It is what is most familiar - the sun provides the lighting for the photo. Imagine that a giant spotlight was mounted to the top of your digital camera instead of a flash. Thats exactly what frontlighting is. What is it good for: Just about anything - this is the basic type of light. Frontlighting is the basis behind most forms of landscape photography, since it is capable of creating evenly exposed scenes with striking skies. Camera exposure meters generally thrive in a front-lit environment, making it a great type of light for snapshots or other on-the-go photos.

Diffused Frontlighting
What is it: A specific type of frontlighting that loses some of its directionality. A common side-effect of overcast days, diffused frontlight results in an image that is more evenly illuminated than a simple frontlit photo alone. What is it good for: This is another safe type of lighting that most digital cameras handle with ease. Because the diffusion reduces shadows, its great lighting for portraits, macro photography or other detail shots.

Backlighting
What is it: A subject directly in front of the primary light source. What is it good for: Backlighting is used to produce sharp silhouettes or interesting lighting effects

Sidelighting
What is it: Just like it sounds: the primary light source is positioned to the side of the subject. What is it good for: Sidelighting is arguably the most aestheticallyinteresting of all forms of light. Sidelighting can produce some of the most dramatic and interesting effects.

Composition Techniques
composition is the placement or arrangement of visual elements or ingredients in a work of art

One Center of Interest/simplicity The Rule of Thirds Lines of Direction Placement S Curve

1: One Center of Interest

Every picture requires one and only one definite center of interest. More than one point of interest, if unavoidable, should lead to each other visually. In other words, the eye should easily travel to each point of interest without being led out of the picture area.

2: The Rule of Thirds

is a guideline commonly followed by visual artists. The objective is to stop the subject (s) and areas of interest (such as the horizon) from bisecting the image, by placing them near one of the lines that would divide the image into three equal columns and rows, ideally near the intersection of those lines

3: Lines of Direction
Always lead the viewers eye into the picture, never out of it

4: Placement
Always place the principal subject of interest away from the exact center of the picture area to get more visual impact.

5: S Curve
The graceful S curve is one of the most beautiful of all compositional devices you can use.

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Other Points to Consider: The rule of space applies to artwork (photography, advertising, illustration) picturing object(s): - to which the artist wants to apply the illusion of movement, or - which is supposed to create a contextual bubble in the viewer's mind

Highlights... Bright areas should never be on the edges of pictures, they pull the eye outwards to the edges..

Foreign Bodies... Watch out for the 'classical' post growing out of the top of a head. That type of thing happens with amazing regularity.

Clutter... Keep subjects simple if possible. A busy and cluttered background almost invariably detracts from a picture unless well out of focus.

Portraits... Keep the eyes sharp and above the centre line. Allow the eyes to tilt

and not be horizontal. Be careful of the position of hands - they can look awkward, and don't get too close with a short focal length lens.

what makes a picture a good picture?

New concept Emotion / expressive/energy Light Symmetry Overwhelming / compelling Narrative

New concept Emotion / expressive/energy Light Symmetry Overwhelming / compelling Narrative