CORE SKILLS FINE-TUNE COMPOSITION
FILL THEFRAME
WITH YOUR FIGURE
Creatinga dynamiccomposition is a key part
ofthismodule.We wantyou to capture an
interestingreflection,but also fill the frame
wi thyoursubjectto reduce any background
distractions.Makesureyou read our
instructionscarefullyto give yourself the
bestchanceof achieving a gold rating.Usea centralcomposition
Placethedividinglinebetween the street
you’reshootingandthereflection of the glass
directlyin thecentreof your shot. Make sure
thislineis completelystraight and not tilting
tothesideat all. Next,you’ll need to wait until
a su bjectwalksintoyour frame. It doesn’t
matterwhetherthey’retravelling in or out
ofthebuilding,or justhappen to be walking
past,butthesubjectmust fill the frame (on
bothsides)withoutanyof their limbs being
cutoff.Thereshouldalso be a reasonable
amountof spacebetween the end of their
bodyandtheedgeof the frame. If you’re
notsurehowmuchspace to compose for,
studyourexampleimages and copy how
they’recomposed.
Avoidshootingwiththe rule-of-thirds, or
anykindof off-balancecomposition, as this
willmeantheviewerwon’t be able to fully
appreciatethesymmetry of the reflection.
Plus,shootingwitha central composition
meansthatit’lltaketheviewer a few seconds
toworkoutexactlywhich part of the image
is realityandwhichis reflection, creating
intriguein yourphoto.Avoid distracting
elementsin yourimage,such as people in
thebackgroundor morethan one subject
in theframe.RightShootwitha central composition for
thebestresultsin yourstreet scene, rather
thanfollowingthe rule-of-thirds.
Your subject must fill the frame on both sides of
your reflection street photo. If there’s too much
blank space in your composition, the viewer won’t
be able to fully appreciate the reflection in the shot.
This will also help to avoid any distracting details
in the background, such as other pedestrians or
eye-catching adverts, pulling your viewers’ focus
away from your subject. Converting your image to
mono will also help to disguise distractions. Try to
capture your subject just as they’re about to walk
in or out of the dividing line, as this will prevent
leaving a large empty space in your shot.