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Today’s Photo Tip: by Geoff Milne
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Those of you who had the opportunity to read my first article (see the archived article) on how a
grid, in your viewfinder or on your LED display on the back of your camera,
can help you keep your horizons straight.There are other uses for the
grid that can be very helpful. In the rules and theories of composition,
there is a rule called “The Rule of Thirds” and, with the right grid, like the
one below, it can help you to apply the rule of thirds when you take your
photographs .
The Rule of Thirds can be applied several different ways. But first let’s
talk about how it works. The photographic frame is divided up into three
sections, hence the name “Rule of Thirds”, three vertical sections
and three horizontal. Use these sections to design your photograph.
In the photograph on the below,
using
vertical thirds, the photograph is
divided into three vertical sections.
I’ve placed the antelope in the left
third and made room for where it
was looking by leaving the next two
thirds empty. This makes the photograph more interesting than it would
have been if the antelope had been
placed in the centre.
In the photo
graph below, I’m using the horizontal
third lines. Even though the butte is
in
the center of the photograph, I’ve
placed the horizon line (that's where
the sky meets land) right on the top
third line giving the sky enough
room in the photograph to look
good but not enough to interfere
with the view of the Grand Canyon,
the butte, well placed in the
center,
and the rocky foreground in the bottom
third. As you can see everything looks
balanced which gives the viewer a
real feeling of being there.
The grid can make it so much
easier to place the different
elements that make up a
well composed photograph.
In the photograph, at the right, of
the Big Horn Sheep, you can
see how I was able to place the
front ram in a way that improves
its impact within the photograph.
Keeping his eye high, but not too
high in the frame.
You can find the grid option in the custom settings menu of your camera,
(see illustration below) that’s the one with the pencil.
Sometimes it’s in the tools menu,
that’s the wrench.
The menu displayed here, is from
the Nikon 7000. Other cameras
will have different menus with
different looks but you will still
find this feature in your custom or
tool settings.
Once you have the grid in your display, it will be easier for you to
compose and keep your photographs perfectly square.
That’s your photo tip for this month, Happy Shooting.
Geoff Milne got his first camera at the age of nine, it was a present from his father before he left for a Scout Jamboree in Yellowknife NWT. Taking pictures was one thing but when his father installed a darkroom in the basement, he was hooked.
Photography has been a major part of his life ever since. He studied at Vanier College in Montreal and then Emily Carr in Vancouver. He took a job at a Pro Lab, “Colorific”, in Vancouver for two and a half years and then joined the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver as a staff photographer and stayed for eighteen and a half years, freelanced for a year and started teaching photography for the Surrey School District in January of 2001. Not long after, he got the contract to photograph for the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board which he continued for nine years. During that time he founded the Photography Program at Surrey College, taught at UFV and VCC and is now giving courses and workshops with White Rock’s Leisure Services.
His father, founded The Marine Institute at Memorial University, and a Grandfather built the St. Lawrence Seaway. Although they said it couldn’t be done- not enough water, he showed them how to manage the water and built the locks and tug boats. A Great Grandfather and Great Great Grandfather, etc... were all Naval Architects, known then as shipwrights, going back several generations. The last three were avid photographers. Geoff Milne was the first to leave the tradition of Naval Architecture but still made their hobby, Photography, his career and has all their cameras in his collection.
You can contact Geoff at
from his website: lonetree.ca. See the site for news of upcoming workshops and seminars in our area.
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