Composition: how to compose this pic better?

[DriedStrawbery]

I wanted the flowers to be the subject. How can I compose this better?

Current composition with the light pole isn't working.


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[DriedStrawbery]

Pic attached.


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[weepete]

Just get up close and isolate a flower or a group of flowers. There's not really much you can do there.

 

[Jeff1546 46]

Crop the flowers a little tighter and remove the lamp post.

 

[Overread14 2]

First step back from the scene and ask yourself what you want to show.

"The flowers are the subject" is your starting point, but what subject. Do you mean the flowers on their own, therefore moving closer and isolating them whilst removing the context and surroundings would work; do you mean the flowers in the scene - ergo on the curb. If so then what of the area surrounding is part of what you want to tell the viewer and show.


The more you ask yourself about what you want to show the more you start to limit what is and isn't possible and that makes it easier to start composing. Composition basically start with thinking about what you want to show and what is possible to show. From there it makes the choices a lot easier because you can start to see what is important and not important.

OF course in reality the situation also has an influence; the angle of the light, the strength of the light, where you can and cannot stand. For this reason (where possible) some photographers will walk around a subject, taking photos from different angles or just viewing the subject to get an idea of what else is possible.

 

[Peeb69 5]

The fence, the pole, the asphalt, and the plant debris, the blown out sky- they all play a part in making this photo just miss.

I tinkered a bit and tried to address each of these issues, but the photo still fails to 'wow' me. You obviously have a great eye, as the flowers are lovely and capturing them is a great idea, but the time of day, and angle failed to do them justice.

The light is the most striking in the golden hour and blue hour (early and late). You might want to get real close and do a macro shot or use a fill flash if the angle is not negotiable (or even if it is!). Wider aperture to blur background is also an option. In any event, leaving in all the urban artifacts spoils the mood of this lovely bit of nature.

Would love to see results if you go at it again!

 

[smoke665]

I find that converting the scene elements to their most simplistic form and then inserting them as the variables in the following will result in the perfect image.

Just kidding. It isn't rocket science, just follow the advise already given, slow down and study the scene, and most of all PRACTICE. Nothing will help more than actually taking the shot and comparing it to what you were trying to accomplish

 

[Overread14 2]

That said there are some elements of science, its not all guess work. There are theories of composition and they are valid elements that are well worth learning (although many photography books only go as far as the trusty rule of thirds and a couple of others).

A few examples.
Brightness - the human eye is naturally drawn to bright areas, thus if you've a photo with a bright sky and a dark foreground subject, the viewers gaze is going to be on the bright sky first. If you can control where the bright area is (at the time of taking the photo or something a little selective editing can just up the brightness on the key area) then you can control where the viewers eye is most likely to land first.
It also makes you more aware of potential distractions in the photo.

Leading lines - look for lines and patterns in the scene. If you've got lines present then consider that they ca nbe angled to lead the eye along the line.

Rule of Thirds - loads and loads out there as this theory is pretty easy to put into practice and most often works. It's not the only one of its kind and there are some extensions such as the golden circle/ratio.

Repeating patterns - a pattern that repeats itself in a scene can be the subject and focus of a photo in itself. Even if the repeating pattern is not uniform (ergo the pattern repeats, but also changes).

Eyes in focus and sharp - in photos with people/animals then you want the main subjects eyes in focus almost without fail.


Note that in most photos there will be more than one theory operating and understanding how/why the theory works also helps you understand when to use it; when not to use it and how its use might affect how your photo is seen.
Also in reality you won't always get time to compose perfectly; or the scene won't let you. Learning to shoot a little wide to later edit in the computer helps; but so too does learning the rules well and realising that their use is "ideal" but might not always be possible

 

[Braineack]

I wanted the flowers to be the subject. How can I compose this better?

this is a perfect thing to ask yourself as you're taking the picture.

from your question, you want the flowers to be the subject, but the image you posted they are only a small part of a larger scene. There's a sidewalk, railing, streetlight, sign, fence, trees, street, houses, and sky in your image.

What do you see, what do you like, what do you not like?

if youre standing there and think: I like these flowers but do no like this fence and lamp post. what can you do about it?

being able to pause, think the image through, and compose the frame to reflect how you feel/see, is what separates the amicagender from the non-binary person.

 

[DriedStrawbery]

Thanks all for taking time and sharing valuable thoughts on my pic!

Saw the light pole as a distraction - dint think of removing it (thanks for suggestion).

Many of you reminded me of various composition techniques, will try to incorporate it.

I'm currently working on 'learning to see' and taking pics that tell a story. The attempt here was a pic that shows the morning flowers on the side while going out for a run. Only had access to a phone for this picture.


Few others which I thought were better composed than the above were:

thanks for your time.