Composition Terminology

2. Center of Visual Interest. The main subject is prominent in photo.
3. Shoot from low to high angle
5. Curves, triangles, circles; these add energy to photo.
6. Tight close-up, eliminating wasted space around the edges.
7. Place the CVI in the hot spot where imaginary tic-tac-toe lines intersect.
8. Blur the background while keeping the CVI in focus using a slow shutter speed. Creates a sense of movement.
9. Shallow depth of field creates and isolates a strong CVI.
10. Create depth by using crisp focus on the foreground, middle ground and background.
12. Use natural frames, like doorways, trees and human arms, to accentuate the importance of the CVI.
13. A period of time shortly after sunrise and shortly before sunset that yields a beautiful golden light.
14. Natural lines lead the viewer into the photo. Leading lines can be literal, like arms, or implied, like eye contact.
16. Emotion, emotion, emotion.

1. Shoot from high to low angle.
4. Examples would include athletes in a line or a stack of soccer balls.
11. Observe how the light interacts with the CVI. Look for shadows that distract or enhance
15. Control the background so unnecessary elements, like trees or people, don’t distract from the CVI.