Street Photography COMPOSITION - How we use the Golden Ratio 

Thanks Michael

Thanks for watching.

Exactly!!

The same. I even drive my wife nuts explaining 😂😂😂

🙏🙏

I agree. Also, if something happens on the other side of the street and it’s potentially a good picture but I only have a 21mm on the camera, do I take the shot and crop it later or miss out on the photo altogether because I adhere to some stupid unwritten rule in photography?

Good stuff!!

Thank you

Yes. But some people (usually the untalented ones) like to abide by “rules” so that they can feel superior to those (usually the talented ones) who don’t.

I tend to think that people who constantly have those sorts of comments are mostly trying to convince themselves that they are so good, anything better than their average pictures need heavy editing. And as you say, who cares. The final product is what matter. I am curious to know if some painters are being accused of using ready made colors instead of shading everything from the bases ;).

​@@chrismarois4349❤😊❤

I was brought up on classical compositional theory so I tend to look at things in those terms. I think it’s fantastic that others see things differently. It makes me look again and that’s all good.

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Thank Mark. It’s a bit ridiculous to me too. But people have their reasons.

I agree but some people just have to express an ill-informed opinion for whatever reason.

Yes. I do. There’s something about having that sense of space that lends itself to it.

Yes. I agree. William Klein’s street style was based on cropping. That’s why a lot of his images are so grainy. The famous image by Elliott Erwitt of a chihuahua and some human legs is a 35mm crop from a 6x6cm negative. I’ve sat with Don McCullin editing his images, and he regularly asked for the images to be cropped.

@@WalkLikeAlice Excuse my English translated with Google, even without disturbing great photographers, I am fully convinced that the message and beauty of a photo cannot be diminished by a crop, a long exposure or a black and white development and so on. A big thank you for your videos

Thanks Liam. When I first started taking photos for a living back in 1988, yes, I would consciously look for patterns and compositional form within an image. I had to, as I was primarily a studio portrait photographer and had to get things right in the camera. I learned a lot about composition in portraiture and that held me in good stead for the rest of my career. I don’t consciously think about composition now. It is second nature to me. Sarah grew up on movies and art and her eye reflects this. Again, it’s very natural for her, she sees a photo she like and presses the shutter. I don’t think she conforms as much to the classical notion of composition as much as I do. Hers is more cinematic.

@@WalkLikeAlice thanks! I honestly hoped you’d say that. It gives me hope.

We call that “visual literacy”. We don’t consciously think of the rules either when shooting.

1. I think so. But don’t quote me on it. 2. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibonacci_sequence Everyone views things differently. That’s how it should be.

Not speaking on Jeff's behalf, but to answer your 2nd question, the rule of thirds is more of a series of techniques rather than rules. Sometimes scenes can be very visually busy and as a viewer, it can be difficult to know what to look at first. By using the rule of thirds, you're guiding the viewer to all the points of interest within the frame.

@@TheArtofLight I'm still curious to know where these rules or guides came from. They seem quite arbitrary compared to eg layering, use of contrast, use of colour. I'm in no way saying they don't work or they're not important I just like to know why we adhere to certain rules and conventions. Meanwhile I've found the overlays are in Photoshop under the grid icon when you use the crop tool.

​@@johnwaine56 In short, the art of painting and painters. Composition is just another tool in the tool box that helps enhance a scene.

@@johnwaine56 For me, rules that help you to understand why something is structured in a certain way are invaluable. It's like learning to play an instrument. You don't need to know notes, scales and chords, but it helps to make sense of why something sounds like it does. It's the same in photography. If you understand the rules/techniques it makes understanding why one photo works and another doesn't, a lot easier.

We don’t have grids on our cameras, but i agree with you 100%.

Merci pour ces vidéos très didactiques J’utilise la grille sur l’écran de mon X100v … et recadre un peu après si cela me semble nécessaire …

Photojournalism is a different thing altogether.

Haha. Pretty much!!