How To: Composing Your Composites

When looking at photomontages and digital art I sometimes get the feeling that the artists do not pay attention to composition, at least not in the same way as traditional photographers does. Maybe this is something that is easily forgotten when sitting in front of a computer, but I think it is a shame, since a good, well thought out composition could not only lift a picture aesthetically but also help convey a story and mood. I believe that by being aware of composition rules and thinking about how they affect the final picture you can really improve your digital art. Sure, sometimes breaking the rules can result in great, dynamic results, but to be able to break the rules you have to know them first.

I think a great deal about composition and work actively with it, and these are four basic compositions I often use in my pictures.

The Rule of thirds



This is probably the most well known composition rule and I am sure most of you have heard of it. Rule of Thirds is basically a simplified version of the Golden Mean. It takes advantage of the fact that that the viewer’s eyes naturally go to certain points of interest in the photo. The rule states that an image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines. The four lines and their intersection are the points of interest and this is where you should place your subject (along these lines or their intersections) to create more balance in your images.

In the example picture above you can see that I have placed the subject along one of the vertical lines, and also placed the horizon along one of the horizontal lines. Also note that I left space to the left of the subject to “leave room” for the movement, the subject is falling into the picture, instead of out of it. There rope also creates a triangle in the base of the picture.

Triangular composition



This type of composition is experienced as very stable. It gives a heavy and static impression, securely anchored at the base of the picture. If you turn the triangle upside down you achieve the opposite impression, something very unstable that is about to tip over at any moment.

In the example picture I have used this composition to give the pillars a very stable, static feel that contrasts against the man’s dancing movement.

Diagonals



Diagonals are great for creating a dynamic picture. Basically a diagonal composition are created by “zooming in” on a triangular composition. A diagonal from the upper left corner to the lower right corner is considered leading into the pictures, at least here in the west where we read from left to right.

Crosses



The norm is to not place your subjects in the middle of a picture. However, if you use a cross to build your composition around you can achieve very nice results drawing the viewer’s eyes into the middle of the picture.

As I said earlier, photo montages are ideal for experimenting with composition and how it affects the final picture, as you can just move your subject around in Photoshop. If you try to work consistent with composition for a while you will soon find that it begins to come natural, without having to think about it.