Screenshot taken from video.
The fundamentals of good photography apply to all kinds of mediums, from a professional grade DSLR or a smartphone. Composition has always been one of the most important factors in either making or breaking the shot. Professional wedding photographers Daniel Inskeep and Rachel Gulotta (and their dog, Carlton) created an extremely helpful short video on their Youtube channel demonstrating three easy to use composition tips on how to improve styling for Instagram photos.
The first tip shared in the video is all about perspective and how it can affect the different outcome of photographs. Typically there are three basic perspectives that can be applied: the birds’ eye view, 45 degrees and neutral perspective. Using birds’ eye view provides a top down perspective giving equal emphasis on all subjects laying flat, while the 45 degrees framing can result in a more 3 dimensional look, adding layers of depth to the image. The neutral position works best if you intend to use shallow depth of field to isolate your subject, creating that desirable “bokeh” background look.
The second tip is simply to overfill your frame. Negative space is best avoided if it does not add anything meaningful to your photograph. Consequently filling the frame from edge to edge creates the over-spilling effect, as if the subjects were popping out of the edges of the screen when viewed at full size. This results in a more engaging experience with the viewers.
The third tip is a dynamic composition tool, using s-curve in photography. Naturally, curves are graceful, rhythmic and can add energy to an image. They also carry multi-functions, either to separate or connect elements or simply offer a balance within a framing. Furthermore, s-curves appear more feminine in comparison to bold, straight lines, compelling the viewers to follow the curves, thus successfully drawing the attention of the viewer to the main subjects in the image.
There is no right or wrong when it comes to style and composition techniques, it is up to your creativity to adopt which method works best for your own shooting.
