Photo Clinic, Part 6

Composition:
     Aren't other people's pictures boring? Well, of course. But some pictures hold our attention -- even if we don't know the people in them; even if we were never there. What is it about these pictures that keeps you looking at them?
     All human brains are wired much the same. Certain things catch our brain's attention, because our visual cortex "fires up" when these features are present. (Warning! Warning! Boring scientific discussion approaching!) Some are obvious: color contrasts (orange garibaldi, blue ocean) make the brain pay attention; repeating units that change (kelp air bladders becoming smaller with perspective as the camera looks up the stalk) really get the neurons going; and to bring every axon in the occipital lobe on-line, nothing beats seeing an eyeball. Other "brain preferences" are more subtle. Your visual system likes to gaze on diagonal lines longer than vertical or horizontal ones. Within a frame, your brain prefers its interesting subject be located off-center.

In this section, I discuss things that can make your pictures more interesting. You may think you're too distracted underwater to apply these principles. But if you practice on land, the reflexes will be there when you aim your camera towards that fish. Are you into outdoor sports? Visit the bookstore at our sister site, UtahMountainBiking.com!

     In this section, I discuss things that can make your pictures more interesting. You may think you're too distracted underwater to apply these principles. But if you practice on land, the reflexes will be there when you aim your camera towards that fish.
     Get down and shoot up. This is also a good rule in land photography. The lower viewpoint brings the horizon (or water) into the picture, and provides a more interesting view of the fish face or diver face. So blow out a few bubbles, drift downward, and catch your subject with an upward angle.

Shot Downward - Boring		Shot upward - Interesting
	The picture at left is shot from above the garibaldi. The colors are flat and there's no drama. On the right, the diver is slightly below the fish, adding open water and natural shading.

     Use the "rule of thirds." Draw two lines horizontally to divide the picture into three strips. Now draw two vertical lines to divide it into three columns. Any point where these lines intersect is the ideal location for the main visual interest of your picture.

To use the "rule of thirds," divide your picture horizontally and vertically into three sections each. The photo's strong feature(s) should fall at the intersection of these sections. The garibaldi's eye is the most powerful feature on this fish portrait. (In general, an eyeball is the most powerful feature in any picture you take.) Use the rule of thirds to place the face within the picture.

The mouth of the tube anemone is the picture's focal point. Put it at an intersection of your lines.

     Make use of diagonal lines. Repeating lines are most visually interesting if they run diagonally through the picture.

The strength of this photo of a staghorn bryozoan is use of diagonals. The border of the colony forms a diagonal (white line), while the individual horns form opposite diagonals (blue lines).

When you can't apply the "rule of thirds" and can't get a small fish to act as a focal point for your picture, look for diagonal lines to make an otherwise boring subject visually interesting. This picture of purple hydrocoral would be a "real yawner" if it were shot with the branches straight up, but the diagonal orientation saves it. Look for repeating diagonals with streams of fish, kelp strands, edges of shipwrecks, etc.

     Open up a path. In your picture, anything that moves needs a path to continue that action. And anything with eyes needs some open space to look at. There's no photo more pathetic than your dive buddy's mask looking straight at the edge of the picture.

Open path -- sense of space		Blocked path -- claustrophobic
	Most amateurs would center the garibaldi in the middle of the frame, as at right. On the left, the garibaldi has a "path" to continue swimming. This makes a better picture!

The blackeyed gobi at left has plenty of room in front of his nose. The bluebanded (Catalina) gobi's face is stuffed into a corner of the picture, making a less appealing photo.

     Provide a sense of scale. Or don't. The jolt of seeing some tiny piece of a strange critter in macro photography is part of the power of this type of picture. But for most photos, a familiar object such as a person, boat, wreckage debris, or anchor provides a "handle" by which the viewer can understand the picture.

How big is that octopus? Is he a terror of the deep, or just a cute little guy? By positioning your subject near something familiar, your picture has "context" and scale. A picture of this octopus on the gravel bottom wouldn't be the same. But a photo of this little guy near clam shells or kelp would also provide a sense of scale.

     People add interest. Divers interacting with sea life make some of the best scuba pictures. Get them close -- eyeball to eyeball if possible. But you'll find that, between your dive buddy and the fish, it's easier to get the fish to do what you want.

Fish Portrait		Add a Diver
	The southern Utah bluegill at left is cute, and for an available-light algae-filled picture, it's not bad. But add a diver, and suddenly the picture has emotion and meaning.

     Look for unusual lighting. Shadows and highlights can be used to make the picture more interesting. By moving your strobe, you can add drama or highlight missed details. Experiment with different techniques.

The nearly invisible polyps on this red gorgonian are highlighted by holding the front strobe back and putting a second strobe behind and to the side. This accents individual animals of the colony while down-playing the stalk.

     Look for unusual poses or angles. The shock of recognition -- when seeing a common subject in an unusual way -- can make your pictures more powerful.

This picture plays "what the heck is that?" with the viewer. Once you realize you're looking at an octopus eyeball with his tentacle wrapped around his face, the photo becomes dramatic and unusual. Don't take a bunch of pictures that are all the same. It may take a few dives, but your aim should be to explore all the visual nuances of your subject. Get a photo of the fish in his environment; take a closeup picture; get the intimate fish-face picture, then shoot a picture of the wart on the fish's lip.

Click on the garibaldi for the next lesson. Click the left one to go back.

About the author: Bruce Argyle is a middle-aged guy desperately clinging to his illusions of youth. He took up scuba photography so he would have an excuse to stop and rest while swimming. He doesn't necessarily know what he's talking about.