amolitor
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We learned early that sticking the subject in the middle was a bad idea, mostly. This is expressed in older books on composition with sentences like "the center is weak".
I have developed a theory, based on quite a bit of readin' and thinkin', about why, which I think is illustrative and helpful. It has to do with "balance" which is another thing we talk about a lot in composition, without necessarily being able to explain it. Balance in this usage means the balance of equal and opposite forces. A line is opposed and balanced by another line. A dark mass is balanced by a light one. A rough texture is balanced by a smooth one. Balancing opposing forces creates tension and interest, without disturbing the equanimity of the picture. The picture remains, as it were, serene, while containing tension. At least, that's the theory.
This is why the center is weak: the center of the picture is naturally the fulcrum on which these balancing elements turn. If you stick something in the center, what can it balance against? This isn't an impossible problem to solve, and the center isn't universally bad. This probably isn't the only reason the center is weak, but it's the one that's on my mind right now.
So what does this mean? Anything?
The obvious consequence is this: It is not enough to push the subject off center, you must ALSO give it something to balance against.
I will close with some illustrations. I urge you to draw your own conclusions, and not accept mine at face value. It is almost inevitable that, having been told what to see, you will tend see what you have been told to see, so I suggest that you resist that now!
I have developed a theory, based on quite a bit of readin' and thinkin', about why, which I think is illustrative and helpful. It has to do with "balance" which is another thing we talk about a lot in composition, without necessarily being able to explain it. Balance in this usage means the balance of equal and opposite forces. A line is opposed and balanced by another line. A dark mass is balanced by a light one. A rough texture is balanced by a smooth one. Balancing opposing forces creates tension and interest, without disturbing the equanimity of the picture. The picture remains, as it were, serene, while containing tension. At least, that's the theory.
This is why the center is weak: the center of the picture is naturally the fulcrum on which these balancing elements turn. If you stick something in the center, what can it balance against? This isn't an impossible problem to solve, and the center isn't universally bad. This probably isn't the only reason the center is weak, but it's the one that's on my mind right now.
So what does this mean? Anything?
The obvious consequence is this: It is not enough to push the subject off center, you must ALSO give it something to balance against.
I will close with some illustrations. I urge you to draw your own conclusions, and not accept mine at face value. It is almost inevitable that, having been told what to see, you will tend see what you have been told to see, so I suggest that you resist that now!