British photographer and author Michael Freeman is back with a new book, On Composition, set to be published 10 March 2022. All-new content from the expert of photography guides, the book is designed to be an ultimate photography masterclass including practical compositional templates.
On Composition is set to detail both how and why composition works, from the initial perception of an image to a photographer's visual imagination, illustrated through concise practical guides and examples of composition used in practice.
• Read more: 6 ways to improve your composition
Fifteen years after writing his best-selling book, The Photographer's Eye, Freeman is back with what will be the first in a series of five new guides on important elements of photography; particularly the application of composition techniques.
Freeman's books have sold over 4 million copies worldwide, with more than 60 titles based solely on the practice of photography, translated into 27 different languages. His work has paid off, awarding him with the Prix Louis Philippe Clerc presented by the French Ministry of Culture.
On Composition has a concise and easy to follow format while demonstrating the key elements of composition. Unique visuals and illustrations are used to cut through the jargon and simplify the subject, making the concept of composition easier to grasp for those who may be unfamiliar. Freeman also reveals the secrets of creating impactful images through the adjustment of composition.
Referred to as the single most powerful tool in a photographer's armory, the use of composition can be a pure expression of the photographer's own individuality, especially when creativity is unconstrained by outside influences, and all decisions are made with careful consideration and thoughtful insight.
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Freeman describes how different scenes have different needs, with order, direction or interest being the dominant factor. Using lines to direct attention is just one way of suggesting a shape, and therefore an order of viewing an image where the eye can follow, especially through the method of pulling back on the frame to allow for more geometric aspects to enter the scene.
Composition and design are elements of a photograph that the photographer reliably has control over, and can influence how others perceive their work, by pointing out certain subjects or even delaying its recognition, explains Freeman in chapter one of On Composition.
Photography is intensely personal. There is only one eye behind the camera, and it’s yours, and composition is a powerful way of showing your individuality."
Michael Freeman, On Composition
Constantly imagining how scenes can be translated into framed images in interesting ways, training your visual senses to be fully up and running as soon as a likely shot is spotted, can assist in the difficult graft involved in the compositional side of photography.
Bringing visual order to the random arrangement of a scene in front of the lens can help photographers to dictate the ways that others will look at their photographs, making composition an extremely important element of the practice of photography in changing the meaning behind an image or to simply make it more interesting.
The new book, On Composition by Michael Freeman is published by Ilex Press (via Octopus books), and will be available from Amazon and other various retailers with prices starting at $24.99 / £20 / AU$37.89 (approximately).
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