This weeks' contest: Structure. Compositional structure.
Allegedly the human eye sees the colour red first. I read an article from Ken Rockwell, a photographer from the US, who posted a photo on his website that ‘had me’, and I read the story behind it, the reasoning for why it's a good photo. Apparently that one has won first prize in every contest he entered. And there’s a reason for that: structure. No need to read the whole thing (4700 words), but just the 2nd paragraph ‘The Basics’.
The Basics
Every image needs a basic structure. Without an underlying structure, it is just another boring photo.
Every image needs strong underlying compositional order so that it grabs the eye from a hundred feet away.
If it can't grab the eye from a distance, it will never be an interesting photo, regardless of how many fine details it might have. Details don't matter if there's no story behind it.
The reason my image above has won so many awards in so many countries and is picked continually as one of my best images is because of its strong structure.
What is this structure? It is the broad underlying colors, shapes and contrasts between light and dark upon whose structure all the other far less important details lie.
In this image, we have a big red diamond in the middle. It is surrounded by blue-gray. The big red rectangle is the obvious, positive space. The blue-gray around it is called negative space.
Red jumps out at you, especially when put in front of blue. Red does that.
I used an ultra-wide lens. Ultra-wide lenses get darker in the corners, an effect called falloff. This makes the center relatively brighter, adding emphasis. This central emphasis, in addition to being red, is what grabs your eye and pulls you in from a mile away.
This is what makes this shot a winner. Nothing else matters much compared to the way the big red diamond grabs you.
Only after its caught your eye does anything else matter.
This is crucial: if this image didn't catch your eye like this, it wouldn't mean much.
Once a photo has caught your attention, it needs to have details to keep the eyes interested. This is easy. Every photo has details. The problem is how few photos have any sort of underlying structure to catch your eye in the first place.
In this case, the less important details are the yellow peeking out from behind the red, the clouds swooping out from the center, the crud on the concrete at your feet and the reinforcing mesh seen peeking out of the top of the red wall, at least when printed at gallery size.
This photo, like all good photos, is about shapes, colors and balances. It has nothing to do with the fact that the actual subject was an abandoned, burnt-out bathhouse with no roof.
Here's his photo:
© Ken Rockwell (used without his permission)
And here’s what I ended up with:
Obviously my photo is meh, and his photo is wow. There’s a reason for that, and according to him it’s about structure. This contest is very difficult, but after seeing so many great photos I think you guys will create stunning photos, with compositional structure. Doesn't have to be a red building with a blue sky, just your interpretation of structure.
Contest ends October 28 at 12 am (midnight) GMT.
Please remember that these standard rules apply:
Allegedly the human eye sees the colour red first. I read an article from Ken Rockwell, a photographer from the US, who posted a photo on his website that ‘had me’, and I read the story behind it, the reasoning for why it's a good photo. Apparently that one has won first prize in every contest he entered. And there’s a reason for that: structure. No need to read the whole thing (4700 words), but just the 2nd paragraph ‘The Basics’.
The Basics
Every image needs a basic structure. Without an underlying structure, it is just another boring photo.
Every image needs strong underlying compositional order so that it grabs the eye from a hundred feet away.
If it can't grab the eye from a distance, it will never be an interesting photo, regardless of how many fine details it might have. Details don't matter if there's no story behind it.
The reason my image above has won so many awards in so many countries and is picked continually as one of my best images is because of its strong structure.
What is this structure? It is the broad underlying colors, shapes and contrasts between light and dark upon whose structure all the other far less important details lie.
In this image, we have a big red diamond in the middle. It is surrounded by blue-gray. The big red rectangle is the obvious, positive space. The blue-gray around it is called negative space.
Red jumps out at you, especially when put in front of blue. Red does that.
I used an ultra-wide lens. Ultra-wide lenses get darker in the corners, an effect called falloff. This makes the center relatively brighter, adding emphasis. This central emphasis, in addition to being red, is what grabs your eye and pulls you in from a mile away.
This is what makes this shot a winner. Nothing else matters much compared to the way the big red diamond grabs you.
Only after its caught your eye does anything else matter.
This is crucial: if this image didn't catch your eye like this, it wouldn't mean much.
Once a photo has caught your attention, it needs to have details to keep the eyes interested. This is easy. Every photo has details. The problem is how few photos have any sort of underlying structure to catch your eye in the first place.
In this case, the less important details are the yellow peeking out from behind the red, the clouds swooping out from the center, the crud on the concrete at your feet and the reinforcing mesh seen peeking out of the top of the red wall, at least when printed at gallery size.
This photo, like all good photos, is about shapes, colors and balances. It has nothing to do with the fact that the actual subject was an abandoned, burnt-out bathhouse with no roof.
Here's his photo:
© Ken Rockwell (used without his permission)
And here’s what I ended up with:
Obviously my photo is meh, and his photo is wow. There’s a reason for that, and according to him it’s about structure. This contest is very difficult, but after seeing so many great photos I think you guys will create stunning photos, with compositional structure. Doesn't have to be a red building with a blue sky, just your interpretation of structure.
Contest ends October 28 at 12 am (midnight) GMT.
Please remember that these standard rules apply:
- Do not comment, vote, react or click “like” on images prior to the winners being announced.
- The photographs must be your own work. In your submission please specify place taken, and if you have a "title" for the photograph specify that also.
- This contest runs for one week and a day this time. If in doubt, please check the title or description.
- At the end of the week, The Judge will choose a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place photo, providing as much feedback as possible.
- If the Judge is unable to complete the selection within 48 hours of the deadline, then last week's 2nd place has to step in. 3rd place takes over should 2nd place be similarly unable to officiate.
- The 1st place Winner will start a new thread with the topic/theme of their choice, and act as the Judge for that contest. (Winner has 48 hours to create a new theme, after that it defers to 2nd place).
- Be sure to update the Contest Master List as soon as you post a new theme.
