Rules of Photography

In this post I will be sharing a few commonly used rules in photography that allow for more pleasing photos. Learning to incorporate these elements can greatly improve anyone’s photography skills behind the camera.

Rule of Thirds

This photo was found on gratisography.com and was taken by Ryan McGuire. The original source of the photo can be found here.

The photographer used the rule of thirds here by lining up the flower bed into the top 2/3 of the photo and the left 2/3 as well. This creates more visual interest than if he had taken the hot from directly above the flowers without any sidewalk in the shot. This also gives the eye a specific place to focus, bringing the flower bed into the viewers mind.

This one was taken by me to demonstrate the rule of thirds. I positioned our dog’s head at the intersection of the “thirds” line on the bottom here. It is clear to see that she is the focus but doing it in this way brings the eye down to her in a more interesting way than simply having her square in the middle .

Leading Lines

This photo was originally found on gratisography.com and is credited to L8QBo3knqa. The post can be found here .

This is a great example of leading lines. Here we can see that the crosswalk lines, the structural lines in the building and even the front of the taxi all point to the horizon found behind the trees. Our eye starts with the bright yellow taxi but then slowly moves to the other taxis and then back towards the horizon between the buildings. The lines of the objects in the photo bring our eye around the entire image.

In my example taken the effect is similar. The lines created by the bushes meeting the rock pulls the eye up and the framing on the sides of the photo bring the eye in to the mountain on the horizon.

Depth of Field

This image is from gratisography.com and is attributed to Ryan McGuire.

This shows the depth of the photo. The potted plant appears to be in the front because the focus is on it. The background is very fuzzy without much definition. This brings the plant to the viewers eye, and is likely what they will focus on.

This one is what I took. I set the focus on the tomato plant in the window sill and had the background of the complex below. This immediately shows that the main subject of this image is the plant and not the cars on the street.

These examples are all different ways that we can bring the focus of our photograph to a specific object or area. Using more than one of these techniques together makes the impact that much more bold.

Meme Typography Analysis

The image I chose to evaluate comes from lds.org and is attributed to Jenae Nelson. The original image can be found here .

Typeface #1

The first typeface is a script font. The font appears to have all the letters connected and looks like a calligraphy brush was used for a hand-drawn look.

Typeface # 2

The second typeface is categorized under sans serif. Sans serif is easy to spot by its lack of serifs on the ends of the strokes and is usually monoweight. The lack of thin/ thick transitions helps identify this font.

Conclusion

The two fonts used in this meme are contrasting in a few different ways. First, the script is angled and lager to make a bold impact. The second font is smaller and subdued to show it is secondary information, as well as being simpler for the eye to recognize.

Maybelline Ad Design

The advertisement that I chose to analyze is this one displaying a Maybelline mascara. The original image (above) came from the photographer’s portfolio website which can be found here . The advertisement using the photograph belongs to Maybelline LLC.

Contrast

This ad has some great contrast in the text that was used. The larger skinny white text at the top immediately draws the eye in and the smaller pink text is clearly separate from it. The stark difference between the bright white and hot pink on the black background is also a great use of contrast which makes the image pop and draw the reader’s eye.

Repetition

The repetition of the colors throughout the ad bring in some cohesion. There is the pink packaging on the product followed by the same pink text beside it. The fonts used in the smaller blocks of text have a very similar shape which brings unity to the piece.

Alignment

Showcasing the oversize mascara tube upright and aligning it to the text brings a focal point to the advertisement. Keeping the other text below aligned with the product creates almost a straight line down the center which makes the overall look very clean and easy to read.

Proximity

The text blocks are far enough apart to help group the information. The tagline is separate from the Facebook link which is also separate from the statistic, with the brand name all the way at the bottom. The most important claim is the first piece of information and the brand is at the bottom, boxing in the lesser important details in the middle. This ensures the reader will remember that Maybelline is the favorite mascara of America.

Color

The designer used black as the background which instantly makes it stand out and highlights the bright content on the ad. Using the lime green, hot pink and black from the product packaging in the ad design itself helps the reader to recognize the product later on. The colors are bright and bold with a lot of contrast which makes a statement.

Overall, I think this design was very effective. The look is attractive, clean and bold which I think is great for the product they are displaying. As a consumer, I think they would be able to reach their target audience/ buyer with this design.