Scott Clifton Photography

Photographic composition is a vast subject. Entire books could be written on this subject! In fact, they have! So I’m only going to be able to cover a very few basic points.

An advantage you may have, as someone photographing some you know rather than being a professional, is that you’ll know the subject well, will have plenty of time and multiple occasions for photo sessions, and will be relaxed together. If you get the mechanics of photography right you have every chance of taking some great photos!

The first thing you should do when taking a photo is to ask yourself what the photo is about? What is the main subject? Often, this is pretty obvious. It’s could a photo of your boyfriend, for example. Once you’ve identified the main subject you can start to eliminate anything that distracts from that. Such as:

• that dirty coffee cup
• the discarded clothing
• the distracting bedside light
• the jazzy bed cover

You get the idea!

While we’re on the subject of bed linen you might want to tousle any bed sheets if you want to create an erotic ambiance!

You might also find that the general background is cluttered and distracting. I’ll devote much more time to this issue in a later blog.

It’s generally found that certain elements in an image are pleasing to the eye. These include diagonal lines, symmetry, and elements that give a sense of depth to the photo. Sorry this is so vague! You might find this video useful.