>> Fine. You think there are rules of composition? Okay, tell me what they are.
>> List them. I'd like to know what they are.
>
> Disingenuous indeed. You might just as well ask somebody to list the
> laws of science in an email.
But dear Heavens, Bob, do you mean to say these rules are so esoteric and
sophisticated that they can't be enunciated and listed?? Then how in the
world does the beginning photographer remember them in order to APPLY them
when he or she is out photographing?!?
* * *
Thank you for your list of books, however. I will arm myself with it for my
next weekly library visit.
I always suspect when I dispute with you that you and I are not truly
adversarial. A sophisticated study of composition can certainly be
rewarding, and certainly some great critics have talked about composition
when discussing specific photographs--one I just read is John Szarkowski's
essay on plate 59 of _A Maritime Album_, "Raising _Lord Dufferin_."
Of course that picture has an exceedingly odd "composition" that would never
pass muster at a camera club. <s>
But what we're discussing here are not sophisticated analyses of
composition, but rather simple "rules of thumb" meant to help neophytes make
"better pictures" _while they are out taking pictures_. In other words, a
series of aphoristic admonitions meant to be memorized and carried about in
one's head, in order to apply them to what is seen through the viewfinder,
hopefully to correct the neophyte's incipient mistakes.
These surely must be things much like Tom Reese mentions in his post. Tom
names these:
>never place an out of focus object in the foreground (especially a bright
>one)
>never place your subject in the center of the frame
>out of focus highlights in the background should be avoided
>never take landscape pictures at noon during the summer
Of course, what happens in MY mind when I read a list of "rules" like the
examples Tom uses is that my mind IMMEDIATELY moves to pictures that
directly violate the rule stated.
I think someday I should do a little chapbook of photography which pair each
of the many "rules" I've read over the years with great photographs which
egregiously violate that rule. <g>
--Mike
