HOW TO MAKE UGLY LOOK PRETTY

NATASHA DU PREEZ

If you are taking a picture of something/someone you need to think about the first impression of that picture and that first impression is determined by the composition of the picture. Good composition starts by choosing the right viewpoint, placing your subject where you want them in the frame and lastly cropping the picture to your liking. Composition is an important part of photography and you need to practice it as often as possible. It is always important to look for new ideas so that you can test your skills and creativity as a photographer.

I think it is important to look at other photographer’s work in regards to their approach and style as this will help in developing your own style. BUT remember, there is a fine line between copying that photographer’s work and developing your own style. So go and grab one of your children or friends and do a shoot like I have done, to practice your creativity, composition and skills. Look at your background, make mental notes of what you can use to your advantage in a picture and get as creative with each composition as possible. Think out of the box and try different angles. You will be surprised what you can create in a short amount of time with minimal space.

Here is my take on not having a lot of “visual prettiness” regarding background, to use at a shoot. You get to a venue/house and it is not what you had imagined in your head. This venue has nothing spectacular to use as far as the eye can see. But here’s the thing, you as a photographer have to make it work. This is your claim to fame; your bread and butter which means you are suppose to be the one with the creative eye and knowledge to make it work. And that is exactly what is expected by your client – you must make it look like something out of a fashion magazine! So here is what I did. I used plain old normal looking, unexciting garage doors to do my shoot. And I gave myself 15 minutes to do this shoot in.

I used the Nikon D3 with the 24 – 70 mm lens and all natural light.

Image 1

The car was parked in the driveway and I had to find interesting and creative compositions to “sell to the client”. Let’s pretend I had no time to ask the owner to move the car as we were running on a tight schedule and like normal, the “bride” was running late. This meant I only had 15 minutes to do the brides pictures.

Image 2 & 3

(Using horizontal lines leading into the model; using negative space and Depth of field.)

With both image 2 & 3 I positioned the model to the right of the viewfinder. In image 2 I used the horizontal lines of the door to draw the eye to the model and I also framed the model in the arch. Image 3 is a closer crop where I used the wall in the foreground to give it a Depth of field.

Image 4 & 5

(Framing, angles and using diagonals.)

This time I changed the model with her back facing the plants. Using the same pose on both images, I first framed the model in the arch in order to direct the viewer’s attention to the model. With the image on the right I used the diagonal rule which states that “important elements of the picture should be placed along the diagonal lines”. The idea of a diagonal line is that it draws your eye between two points. Depth of field in both images where the foreground and background is out of focus puts focus on the all important subject, the model.

Image 6 & 7

(Using lines of the door/wall as well as the rules of the third and using negative space.)

With these 2 images I used the same angle but from 2 different sides. The top image was taken with the garage door lines leading into the model. In camera I positioned the model to the far left (image 6) and right (image 7) to cut out the background and therefore had lots of negative space. Both these images have lines leading and directing your eyes to the model. Depth of field adds to both images

Image 8 & 9

(Slightly off centre approach, using negative space and using the arch to frame the model.)

With these 2 images I used a slightly off centre approach. This means I positioned myself not straight in front of the model, but with a slight angle to the left and then to the right. I also framed the model with the arch. With this slightly off centre approach these images have a totally different background and foreground feel.

Image 10 & 11

(Using lower and higher viewpoints.)

The background is the most obvious difference between 2 viewpoints. If a subject is photographed from different angles and viewpoints it looks totally different. Image 10 was shot from a higher viewpoint in order for the viewer to see some background (the arch and door) surrounding the subject. Image 11 was shot from a lower viewpoint where all the focus is on the model and the background is not really of importance.

Image 12

A plain straight on approach works well with this image. The arch frames the model and the window on the right is in balance to the model on the left.

Image 13 & 14

Cropping the model to focus on the accessories. Also changing between center focus (image 14) and using negative space (image 13) gives these images a different viewpoint.

Image 15 & 16

A plain approach with different poses. Have the model kneel down but then change the position of her head for image 16. I also used negative space towards the right of both images.

Image 17

With this image I wanted to use both the texture of the brick wall and the door lines. Framing the model with half of the arch makes an interesting photo.

Image 18 & 19

(Using negative space, rules of the third and Depth of field)

Changing the angle but not the model is the difference between these 2 images. With image 18 I used the wall of the house and the arch of the door to frame the model. Depth of field and the rule of the thirds add to these images. With image 19 I changed my angle so that I could use the 2 garage doors and frame the model in the door to the right.