Frank Wang

A Crash Course in Photographic Composition

Hi Jeffrey!  Thanks for posting this week's photos.  

Image #1 - I like how you kept some of the foreground in there to ground the bottom 1/3rd of the image.  I also like the contrast between the neon green stripes and the grey equipment / floors.  It looks like you cropped this a bit "tall" though - the aspect ratio is almost 2:1 (height to width) which throws me off a bit, especially with the strong vertical nature of the jumping girl adding to vertical nature of the aspect ratio.  Overall it feels too elongated and off-balance.  

Image #2 - I love the implied movement of the woman on the bars. I also like the placement of the subject (good subject contrast) off to the left side of the image.  The only thing I'd mention here is that you may want to consider a crop (if you have a wider version) where the subject is on the right side, so that her feet point towards a part of the image where there's some space.  Right now the left part of the frame feels a bit tight and that the right side of the frame is just...there?  It may feel a bit more resolved if the visual weight of the subject was on the right side with some breathing room on the left.  All the action and color is on the left side of the frame.  Thoughts?  

Image #3 - Again, I like the use of the ground as foreground.   I'd straighten the image just a bit?  It's tilting a bit to the right.  

Image #4 - Cool shot!  I like the shallow depth of field and that there's a distinct foreground and background.  Nicely done with subject placement and focus selection as well.  

Image #5 - This is my favorite of the bunch. I like symmetry of the image as well as the minimal quality of it.  Just watch the bottom left hand corner - the crop is a bit tight there.  I'll note that this image is also a more elongated "wide" aspect ratio, similar to the first image.  However, I tend to think more rectangular aspect ratios are a bit easier to work with, since we're used to seeing content presented that way.  For example, HDTVs are 16:9, etc.  

Keep the good work coming!  Feel free to post more images from this session if you want.  A technical note - you may want to put a line break (hit "enter") between the images so that there's some white space between each image.  

Finally found a browser that can read the 'reply' button's JavaScript..sheesh!Good on ya for jumping in first, Jeffrey - I like the cut of your jib.+1 to all of Frank's comments. The main thing I'd like to highlight, though, is the lack of whitespace in your project at the moment. Your poor images are smothering each other - give them some room to breathe, put in titles for each one and maybe a quick explanation with each one:What were you trying to achieve with the image? Which rules did you try to adhere to? Were you successful? How would you improve similar shots in the future?This course is not only about happy snapping and posting, it's about analysis and reflection. Having to put down a few words forces you to think about them which helps you become a better photographer.Cheers,Guido

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