The Expanded Guide - Understanding Composition

The Expanded Guide Understanding Composition by David Taylor breaks down the main composition concepts - from the Rule of Thirds, the Golden Section, the Rule of Odds, visual and weight and contrast, to actual and implied lines in an image, symmetry, viewpoint and abstraction - each are analysed and demonstrated with the aid of the author's own beautiful images. This Expanded Guide book is written in bite-sized chunks and is suited to photographers at all levels who want to better their images, understand the impact of perspective and how to attune the mind to the art of looking.

The Expanded Guide - Understanding Composition

In photography, as with other visual arts, composition is the placement or arrangement of elements in an image as distinct from the subject of a work. Although it may sound clichéd, the only rule in photography is that there are no rules: just a number of established guidelines that can be applied to enhance the impact of a scene. These guidelines will help you take more compelling photographs, investing them with a natural balance, drawing the viewer's attention to the important parts of the scene, or leading the eye through the image. Professional photographer David Taylor's concise, jargon-free text guides the reader through the basics of composition, why it matters, and how to attune the mind to the art of looking. Beginning with a guide to choosing a camera - and how different types help you think about composition differently - he explains aspect ratios, the focal length of lenses, and the effect of perspective. The main composition concepts - from the Rule of Thirds, the Golden Section, the Rule of Odds, visual weight and contrast, to actual and implied lines in an image, symmetry, viewpoint and abstraction - are each analysed and demonstrated with the aid of the author's own beautiful images. The techniques of exposure, depth of field, shutter speed and white balance are explained, with practical hints and tips. Finally, post-production techniques such as cropping, selective blurring, panoramic stitching and use of filters complete this in-depth guide to a fascinating area of photograph.

About The Author: David Taylor is an award-winning landscape and travel photographer, born and raised in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear. His work has taken him all over the world, but away from his photographic career David lives on an exposed hill, overlooking the market town of Hexham in Northumberland.