Photographic Composition

Book description

"Those of you who follow this blog know that Dr. Richard Zakia, former RIT professor, is one of my all time favorite photo gurus. We send each other pictures. We talk about looking into pictures - and not just looking at them. Big difference.. Dr. Richard Zakia, a.k.a. Dick, is the co-author, along with David Page, of Photographic Composition: A Visual Guide. These two dudes are also two of my favorite people."---Rick Sammon's blog

"Covers all the tips needed to help photographers construct their own unique, outstanding images and is an outstanding 'must' for any collection."--CA Bookwatch

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Halftitle
  3. Title
  4. Copyright
  5. Contents
  6. Acknowledgments
  7. Introduction
  8. SECTION 1. Before Capture
    1. 1. Before Capture
      1. Physical Preparation:
      2. Mental Preparation:
  9. SECTION 2. Capture
    1. 1. Geometrics
      1. Rule of Thirds:
      2. Centering:
      3. Off Center:
      4. Lead Line:
      5. S-Curve:
      6. C-Shape Curve:
      7. Reverse C-Shape:
      8. L-shape:
      9. V-Shape:
      10. Triangles:
      11. Horizon Line:
      12. Diagonals:
      13. Symmetry:
      14. Repetition:
    2. 2. Figure Ground
      1. Selection:
      2. Planned:
      3. Unplanned:
      4. Figure and Ground Compete:
      5. Camouflage:
      6. Notan:
    3. 3. Depth
      1. Multiple Planes:
      2. Linear Perspective:
      3. Aerial Perspective:
      4. Color Perspective:
      5. Camera Distance:
      6. Texture Gradient:
      7. Shared Contours:
      8. Depth of Field:
    4. 4. Framing the Scene
      1. Object in the Foreground:
      2. Framing:
      3. Focal Point:
      4. Scale:
      5. Vertical:
      6. Move in Close:
      7. Move in Closer:
      8. Part for the Whole:
      9. Fill the Frame:
      10. Frame Within a Frame:
      11. Position Within the Frame:
      12. Beyond the Frame:
      13. Tilt:
      14. More Tilt:
    5. 5. Clarity
      1. Simplicity:
      2. Complexity:
      3. Ambiguity:
      4. Puzzling:
      5. Illusion:
    6. 6. Movement
      1. Stop Motion
      2. Panning
      3. Not Panning
      4. Blur
      5. Implied Movement
      6. Direction of Movement
    7. 7. Camera Angle (Vantage Point)
      1. Vantage Point:
      2. Eye Level:
      3. Low Angle:
      4. High Angle, Looking Down:
      5. High Angle, Looking Up:
    8. 8. Gestalt Composition
      1. Similarity:
      2. Proximity:
      3. Similarity and Proximity:
      4. Continuation:
      5. Closure:
    9. 9. Portraiture
      1. Formal:
      2. Informal:
        1. Environmental:
      3. Camera Distance:
      4. Pupil Size:
    10. 10. Light and Shadows
      1. Direct Light:
      2. Diffuse Light:
      3. Direct/Diffuse Light:
      4. Back Light:
      5. Window Light:
    11. 11. Color, Colour, Couleur
      1. Warm Colors:
      2. Cold Colors:
      3. Soft Colors:
      4. Strong Colors:
      5. Complementary Colors:
      6. Color Harmony:
      7. Abstract Color:
  10. SECTION 3. After Capture
    1. 1. Print Captions/Titles
      1. A Parable:
      2. Generic:
      3. Specific:
      4. Suggestive:
      5. Ambiguous:
      6. Specific:
      7. Quote:
      8. Generic Caption:
      9. Specific Caption:
      10. Ambiguous Caption:
      11. Narrative Caption:
      12. Poetic Caption:
      13. Question:
      14. Untitled:
    2. 2. Photoshop, Syntax, and Semantics
      1. Add Something:
      2. Subtract Something:
      3. Crop the Image:
      4. Flip the Image:
      5. Mirror Image:
      6. Tilt the Image:
      7. Distort the Image:
  11. Appendix 1. Three Ways to Capture
  12. Appendix 2. Morphics
  13. Appendix 3. Golden Mean (Golden Section)
  14. Appendix 4. Aspect Ratio
  15. Appendix 5. Digital Transformations
  16. Bibliography
  17. Index of Quotations
  18. Index

Product information

  • Title: Photographic Composition
  • Author(s): Richard D. Zakia, David Page
  • Release date: September 2012
  • Publisher(s): Routledge
  • ISBN: 9781136088537