Photo Assignment #1: Composition

This is a photo a took during the Sundance Film Festival this weekend. For this particular photo's composition I incorporated the use of subject/background. The shallow depth of field enhances the subject in this photo and makes the busy street with traffic, people, and building less distracting for the viewer. In photoshop I used the selection tool to select the subject, inverse the selection to the background, and reduce the exposure to improve the washed out image. 

In this photo I used light to help create the composition of the image. In this particular book store, there was a light on the ceiling shining directly above the subject. In photoshopped I darkened the corners to enhance the element of light. This helped me make sense of the composition, among the busy books that filled the bookshelves. In addition, the bookshelves created an element of symmetry and lead the viewer to look at the subject.

This unique photo is an example of the graphical weight images have to create composition. For example, if the content of the photo is aligned on a plane, it will help understand the subject. I used the element of balance to create composition in this photo. (The driver's window v. the windshield, the lateral panel separating the windows v. the steering wheel and speed gauge, the girl v. the side rear view mirror v. the orange light passing the car) In photoshop I used the vibrance tool to bring out the richness in color in this photo. 

Lauren Stolworthy