Often we see a beautiful photo and we usually don’t look further as what made the photo look good. For a photograph to look good, we have to add in elements in the composition. Elements are like the building blocks for photos as well as arts.
Here are some examples of elements.
- Lines
- Shapes
- Textures
- Forms
- Frames
- Tones
- Patterns
- Reflections
- Isolations
Let me illustrate further by showing some of the elements that I applied in my pet photography.
This is the photo of Vinny, a Weimaraner who is full of energy and will go crazy over a tennis ball. His owner is a dog trainer, and a very good one too. Please check out her website http://www.happytails.asia/ if you need a dog trainer.
This photo was not a random shot. It took a few days of planning. I happened to walk pass this place at Orchard Road in Singapore and it just gave me this image of a dog standing there. For humans to access this place is easy but for dogs, it was a little challenging. Most of the carparks are at the basements of the mall, and dogs are not allowed in the malls and thus Vinny’s owner has to park at an open car park and walked to the location. It was all worth it.
In this photo, I applied the lines, patterns in the composition as well as color tones. The lines made the subject stand out more and the tones to match Vinny’s color. The composition is made in such a way that if you look at it, your eyes will be drawn to Vinny.
Applied reflection element in the next photo.
Reflections are always a fun element. Vinny seems to be talking to himself.
Isolations. You may have been using this element without even realizing it. In order to have a bokeh (blur background) type of effect, you’d need a lens with a wide aperture. Or may be a smartphone with a portrait function camera though I don’t really like the bokeh effect in smartphones.
These are some of the photos which we use basic elements to make the photo interesting in our pet photography. All of the above photos were taken in Orchard Road in Singapore. Hope you guys can apply some of the elements in your next photo. Until then, see ya :). Want to see more cute pets? Check out our pet gallery.
