Why These Letters are Important for Your Photography Composition

If you find the concepts of the golden ratio and the rule of thirds hard to grasp, you can learn composition from the following letters. They are easy to remember and apply to your next photography project!

Letter A

The A shape gives viewers a strong sense of stability and an upward force, and directs viewers’ attention. This composition accentuates the big and tall form of the subject. Placing the subject on the top of the A shape where two lines meet is a forced visual direction. Viewers cannot ignore the meeting point. The A-shape composition is often used in architecture and commercial photography. When the gradient of the A shape changes, different shooting effects happen. It is a bold composition, and it takes time to master.

Letter C

The C curve is a beauty in photography. This composition looks simple. But viewers move their eyes from one end of the curve to the other. The C curve can go from left to the right, right to the left, bottom up or top down.

Letter L

The L shape looks like an open frame. It highlights the subject and leads the viewer to focus on what’s within the frame. Many subjects that are shot in this composition already form an L shape.

Letter S

When a subject has an S-shaped curve, it looks dynamic in the frame. This composition technique is great for landscape and aerial photography. The curve describes the ups and downs of mountains, rivers, and terrains. In general, an S-shaped curve begins bottom left corner in the frame and stretches to the top right (it’s not always the case, some are from right to left). The curve connects the foreground, middle-ground and background. They also stress the vertical depth of the shooting subject.

Letter V

Shooting a subject in the shape of letter V is very versatile. The variety is in the position of the V shape. You can lie it down or put it horizontally. But no matter what the V shape looks like, the ending point is in the centre of the frame. The V shape is better for shooting two subjects in the foreground. In this closed composition, the photographer leads the viewer’s attention to the converging point. The resulting image leaves a satisfying feeling of stability.


Note: Written and copyrights reserved by Hao She Da Shu (好摄大叔). Translated and edited by Yuhuan Xiao. Original article published here.

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