The fascinating subject of Composition

As a judge I can objectively say this image wouldn’t win any awards, but some may view it as quite pleasing, and it does have compositional merit.

Through learning and observation. The discovery of an ultimate viewpoint as an array of visual elements align, will create joy for the explorer of compositions.

This viewpoint (exact camera position) explained.

The foreground rock would be considered dominate from this viewpoint which establishes it as the primary emphasis. This is due in part to its perceived relative size but mainly because its more triangular form differs from the surrounding shapes that are generally spherical. In other words, the triangular is odd in a bed of round, so more prominent.

You’ll notice a crack which emerges from the top left corner and leads diagonally towards our rock, as though emphasising it. This can be described as a directional flow.

Further down the left edge and another crack also leads (flows) towards our dominate rock. At the rocks base is an assembly of smaller spherical rocks that curve towards and cradle our dominate rock, as though by design.

By exact alignment, the triangular rock converges upwards and at its point, forms a relationship of lines by connecting the soft D line of our rock, to the soft C line of the vertical rock edge. Connected they create a soft S line which is generally considered, sublime.

Clever composition is often about the subminimal.  

The rock that sits deeper into the frame (upper third a little off-centre to the right) is somewhat isolated and also prominent due to its differing relative shape. That rock could be considered a ‘secondary point of emphasis’.

Surprisingly, its physical size is about four times larger than our primary foreground rock. By reducing the focal length of my lens (wider angle) I was able to alter the optical perspective which increased the space between rock 1 and rock 2. This also altered the relative scale between rock 1 and rock 2, quite considerably.

The above merely introduces this fascinating topic…