When a photograph is carefully composed, exposed, focused, and captured, it possesses inherent artistic value. A message or symbolism can be conveyed.

Photography is a form of nonverbal communication, like a Beethoven symphony or a Michelangelo statue. It can convey a thought from one person to another. It can inspire social change and promote beauty.

Formulation

The placement of visual components within a frame to produce balance, flow, and direction is known as composition. It’s a critical component of photography that shapes how your audience experiences the story behind your images and can turn an ordinary snapshot into a captivating work of art.

The key to mastering composition is learning to recognize and incorporate the many different composition techniques that can make your images stand out. These include:

Leading lines, literal or implied, guide the viewer’s eye through your image. Symmetry and patterns occur when geometric solid shapes or colors repeat themselves, often evoking feelings of harmony or balance.

While learning the rules of composition is essential, don’t be afraid to break them! With some experimentation, you can discover new ways to compose your photos and elevate even the most mundane subjects.

Lighting

In photography, the most important factor is light. It makes photography possible and separates a snapshot from an artistic image. Light’s quality, direction, and intensity all affect the final picture.

It is crucial to comprehend and manage light, whether artificial or natural. It involves adjusting the color, brightness, and direction (using a filter or a different light bulb, for example).

Traditional and digital film/darkroom practitioners like Meg Bitton will find this new book helpful. It concentrates on using these approaches responsibly for expressive goals while offering clear technical information. It is designed for photographers of all skill levels who want to use this unusual medium to express themselves.

Camera Lenses

Lenses are one of the most critical tools for adding creative control to your filmmaking. Understanding how they work and the best situations for using them is an essential skill.

A camera lens comprises several lens elements that interact to direct light rays to recreate the image on your digital sensor. Each element has a unique shape and curve that affects the final results.

Standard lenses are designed with an angle of view similar to the human eye. They’re suitable for various subjects and offer excellent performance in low-light conditions.

Wide-angle lenses are great for capturing more of the environment around you but can create a lot of spatial distortion. Fish eye lenses are ultra wide-angle lenses that can produce circular images and exaggerate perspective distortion.

Filters

Filters are one of the most valuable accessories for any photographer. They add subtle but noticeable alterations that make your photographs pop. They also allow you to capture shots that would be difficult or impossible to achieve solely with a camera.

Lens filters modify the quality of light entering the camera lens (photographic filters), or, when placed in front of a light source, they limit the color of the light projected (non-photographic filters). They are commonly made from colored glass resin plastics similar to those used in eyeglasses, gelatin, and other materials.

Special effects filters include polarizers that reduce glare, warming and cooling filters that alter the temperature of colors, vignette filters with a particular cut-out shape that creates a dreamy effect, etc.

Processing

Many photographers choose not to do any post-processing and rely on the act of capture to satisfy their creative urges. That’s fine, and there is undoubtedly a place for that philosophy. But for those who want to do more with their photos, it’s essential to know what is possible with the tools available in post-processing.

Post-processing is anything you do on your computer after you have captured the image on your camera. Adjusting the image can be as simple as cropping or as complex as balancing colors.

In black-and-white photography, processing is also a term used to refer to the chemical treatment of the emulsion to make it permanent. Examples include selenium toning and sepia toning. A more modern variation of this process is known as digital imaging.