Well stated! Also, the eye is trained or "brainwashed" from an early
age. Some of us have been trained to read from left to right, for others,
the opposite is true.
In the case of a portrait, do our eyes prefer the subject looking to our
right? Which side of the photograph should the principal node be on? All of
this depends on how our eyes were trained.
In addition, a photographer who has not trained their eyes but have the
inherent artistic skills will often create outstanding photographs that
other failed to see. That is evident in Ansel Adams works. Each year, I get
a now calendar and each year, I note that the main body of his work was
created before 1950.
Bob Rapp
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dr E D F Williams" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>
> It is my opinion that arrangements that please the viewer in a photograph,
> or other form of visual artistic expression, cannot be made so by
following
> a 'Golden Rule'. That some people choose to arrange things in a
geometrical
> way and come to conclusions about how composition can best be done using
> numbers is a well known fact. It is not scientific, but intuitive, and
does
> not withstand careful scrutiny. The resultant work may be pleasing or not.
> But this will not depend on whether the artist adhered, or did not, to
some
> magical arrangement arrived at with compass and ruler. In a nutshell: some
> people have an eye, others don't.
>
> Example: In a portrait where the subject is in profile it is good practice
> to have more space in the direction the subject is looking. Less behind
his
> or her head. Every experienced photographer knows this - no geometry
needed.
>
> D
>
