Composition is derived from painting and refers to the layout and composition of the picture. Photography also involves composition, which refers to the whole process from framing the shooting to the tailoring of the photo. The composition of character photography mainly expresses the form of the character in the photographic picture, and uses all the styling factors to shape the image of the character to form a perfect picture as much as possible.
There are many similarities between photography and painting. Both are graphic art and both must be concerned with composition. However, photographic composition is very different from painting composition. The composition of painting is a composition based on subjective design, while photography is a composition based on objective selection. In painting, you can choose the material at will, and compose the picture according to your own ideas; photography is to choose the material on the spot, and directly use the viewfinder to choose and compose the picture on the spot. Photographic composition is to transform the real life image into a plane image with frame restrictions.
Table of Contents
The Choice of Shooting Direction
“Looking horizontally as a ridge and a peak on the side, the distance is different.” From different angles, the scenery has different shapes. This is the case when shooting scenery, and the same is true for shooting people. People from different angles will have different appearances. To determine the shooting angle, the first is to choose a different direction.
Shot from the Front
The camera is facing the subject, and the person is photographed from the front. Frontal portraits generally require that the ears of the person can be seen. If only one ear can be seen, even if most of the face can be seen, it cannot be counted as a frontal portrait. The frontal image is symmetrical with the facial features, which makes people feel more real, so it is used as the standard image.
Half Side Shot
The camera and the subject form an angle of 25°-50°, and the face of the person faces the lens from the oblique side, which breaks the lack of symmetry and stability of the frontal image, making it more lively. The angle of the half side can be adjusted flexibly, and the face can be exposed a little more or less, which is a commonly used angle in portrait photography.
Shot from the Side
The camera and the subject are at a 90° angle, and the person is facing the camera, only half of the face can be seen, half hidden and half exposed, which is more subtle. When viewed from the side, the faces of the characters are clearly defined and can leave a deep impression on people. However, the lack of perspective changes on the side is not as lively as the half side, which is a less commonly used angle.
Shot from the Back
The camera is facing the back of the subject, at a 180° angle to the person’s line of sight. Because the face of the character cannot be seen, the expression of the character cannot be expressed, and the thoughts and feelings of the character are indirectly expressed mainly by the figure’s body movements.
Photographing the characters on the back can leave a rich imagination space for people, allowing readers to make associations through the relationship between the main character and the environment, or through the plot formed by the front and back characters in the picture, so as to experience the theme of the work.
The Choice of Height When Shooting
Choose the shooting angle, in addition to the choice of aspects, but also the choice of height. Changes in height will also have a great impact on photographic composition.
Head-up
Head-up refers to the height of the camera and the subject’s head, and the optical axis of the lens is parallel to the person’s line of sight. The photos taken by head-ups are in line with people’s usual
His visual habits give people a sense of intimacy and equality in psychology. Head-up shooting, the character’s face is not easily deformed, the composition is stable, and it is conducive to the performance of the foreground. However, in scenes with a large number of people, people in the front and rear rows are prone to overlap and obscuration.
Overview Shooting
Elevating the position of the camera and shooting from top to bottom can form a larger spatial layout, and the front and back figures do not block each other, which is conducive to shooting scenes with a large number of people. Shooting children from a bird’s-eye view is like an adult watching a child, and it is more in line with people’s visual habits. However, a person who is photographed from a bird’s eye view is prone to a certain degree of deformation. If a wide-angle lens is used to shoot at a close distance, the person will appear to have a big head but very small feet.
Shoot from the Angle of Looking Up
Lower the position of the camera and shoot from bottom to top, the figures appear tall and majestic. If you use a wide-angle lens to take a close up shot, the figures are big and small, standing tall and straight, which will produce an exaggerated visual impact. Looking up can lower the horizon and let the sky become the background, which can make the picture more concise. However, looking up at a scene with a large number of people, the people on both sides of the screen look like they are leaning toward the middle, and the people behind will also be blocked by the front row.