The importance of good design and composition
Design
In this Master Class, composition is treated as the total design in photography and art. This means among other things that symbolism plays an important part: the symbolism of colors, the symbolism of right and left, of lines, of shapes, of light and dark, etc. The left half of an image symbolizes for instance the past, and the right half symbolizes the future (for people who read from left to right). Someone who walks or looks to the left, is directed to the past. Many photographers do not know this and one can see this in their pictures. The reason for this is that Composition is not a class in professional photography education.
Composition is not personal or subjective
Most items in the Master Class are about the language of vision or visual grammar. This means that there are general rules concerning images, just as there are general rules (grammar) in written language. Because everyone looks in the same manner and can recognize an image within 1/3 of a second, everyone can also see the composition of an image within 1/3 of a second. Therefore composition is objective, because it is not possible to reach a subjective opinion within 1/3 of a second. (Of course experience is needed to see the composition at the same time as one recognizes an image, within 1/3 of a second.)
Points of attention
We do not utilise "rules of composition", but "points of attention". Most rules are contrived by amateurs and are most of the time arbitrary, illogical and/or contraprductive. Rules like "the horizon must be right/horizontal", more often lead to bad rather than to good photographs. Especially the "Rule of Thirds"
is misleading many people. There are many "points of attention". One should always pay attention to the desired effect. When the content is enhanced using the right design, the approach is good or right. But the design can also weaken the the content, and can even produce the opposite effect of the desired effect. A possible point of attention is the horizon: if the horizon should be right, one should focus on this consciously, and when the horizon should be at an angle, it has to be done in such a way that it does not look like a fault.
Items or subjects in the Master Class
A few of the treated items are: the viewing direction through the image, the viewing direction of the subject, the symbolism of horizontal/vertical/oblique/diagonal lines, optical lines and shapes, balance and symmetry, the symbolism of right and left, patterns, the horizon, clouds, the Rule of Thirds, the Diagonal Method, The Golden Section, perspective and depth, rational and intuitive composing, Japanese compositions, basic shapes and lines, Wabi-Sabi, color symbolism, graphic design factors, Gestalt Laws, basic general laws, the Ten Laws by Ramachandran, the controlled-demolition-effect, contrast, isolation, rythm, open and closed figures, peak shift, photographs which are taken at an angle, vectors, the symbolism of the square and the rectangular format, multiple subjects, remnant shape, etc.
Visual-psychological backgrounds: "Composition is not personal or subjective"
Although people experience their surroundings, images, photographs and paintings differently, according to their personal psychological make-up, they can recognize visual stimuli within one third of a second, meaning that the brain can process visual information into meaningful images, within this time.
That’s I call this process "visual-biological", because everybody can do this automatically, whatever their culture or upbringing. Within 1/3 of a second, people do not have the time to form an opinion about the visual image. Robert Solso says the following about this: "The shapes, colors, patterns and organization of forms are sensed and processed by your eye and brain in the same way as they are processed by everyone else's. To me, it is somewhere between surprising and astonishing that so few art scholars have taken heed of this fundamentally important aspect of seeing."
This recognizing-process, - within 1/3 of a second - , is also called "Nativistic Perception" in cognitive psychology. Solso says about Nativistic Perception:
"This first stage of the perception of art is largely independent of conscious control, and we are, in effect, enslaved by photons and physiology."
This means that people not only can recognize visual stimuli within 1/3 of a second, but at the same time can see the composition of this, of images.
The conclusion of this is that the perception of composition (of images) is an automatic process, and therefore objective or universal for all people in the world. It is not influenced by culture or education, because it is all about seeing, and not about written language.
People who work with images as a profession, have more experience with this of course. I discovered by chance that I was able to select three photographs per second concerning the composition of 100 photographs, when I was asked to select the best photographs out of these 100 photographs. (I thought it would take too much time to discuss each and every photograph, so I first selected the best compositions.) During this time (one third of a second), I was not able to form an opinion about each photograph, so the selecting process was "automatic", or "visual-biological-automatic".
It is more complicated when we are talking about directing our glance through an image, which takes more time of course, to study the complete composition and design of an image. This can take easily five minutes or more. Apart from the fact that discussing photographs is the most difficult task in photography of all factors in the totality of photography, cultural aspects have to be taken into account. For instance the left half of an image symbolizes the past, details and proximity, and the right half symbolizes the future, non-detailed things and faraway, but this is only the case with people who write and read form the left to the right, so with western written language. For Arabic and Hebrew, people this is reversed, because they write and read from right to left.
(This is the result of a scientific study done by E. J. Zwaan for the University of Utrecht.)
Design and composition
The choice for a certain design is based on a personal preference and view, and depends on the purpose of the communication and the target group. For example, you can photograph an American Indian woman, a bottle of wine or a car in different ways, concerning the design. But the perception of the result of this in the form of a photograph or painting, is visually objective: all people will look at this in the same way - as is explained in the section above.
This means that as a photographer, a designer or an artist, you have to take into account the laws of composition. For instance, the symbolism of vertical lines, the color red, or the symbolism of the left or right half of an image, are universally valid. If one goes against these laws, thinking that composition is "subjective", the meaning of an image can become incomprehensible to the public, or even contra-productive - and as a result of this the communication with the public could get lost. The fact that people can see various things in an image during the Top-Down phase and can project their own subjective opinions upon it, does not alter the immediate impression and the symbolism, which is universal.
Also, the public is very able to make the distinction between "good" and "bad" art, but they just cannot verbalize it, due to the lack of art education and experience. The reason for this is that all people look at images in the same way, including the public.
Design
In this Master Class, composition is treated as the total design in photography and art. This means among other things that symbolism plays an important part: the symbolism of colors, the symbolism of right and left, of lines, of shapes, of light and dark, etc. The left half of an image symbolizes for instance the past, and the right half symbolizes the future (for people who read from left to right). Someone who walks or looks to the left, is directed to the past. Many photographers do not know this and one can see this in their pictures. The reason for this is that Composition is not a class in professional photography education.
Composition is not personal or subjective
Most items in the Master Class are about the language of vision or visual grammar. This means that there are general rules concerning images, just as there are general rules (grammar) in written language. Because everyone looks in the same manner and can recognize an image within 1/3 of a second, everyone can also see the composition of an image within 1/3 of a second. Therefore composition is objective, because it is not possible to reach a subjective opinion within 1/3 of a second. (Of course experience is needed to see the composition at the same time as one recognizes an image, within 1/3 of a second.)
Points of attention
We do not utilise "rules of composition", but "points of attention". Most rules are contrived by amateurs and are most of the time arbitrary, illogical and/or contraprductive. Rules like "the horizon must be right/horizontal", more often lead to bad rather than to good photographs. Especially the "Rule of Thirds"
is misleading many people. There are many "points of attention". One should always pay attention to the desired effect. When the content is enhanced using the right design, the approach is good or right. But the design can also weaken the the content, and can even produce the opposite effect of the desired effect. A possible point of attention is the horizon: if the horizon should be right, one should focus on this consciously, and when the horizon should be at an angle, it has to be done in such a way that it does not look like a fault.
Items or subjects in the Master Class
A few of the treated items are: the viewing direction through the image, the viewing direction of the subject, the symbolism of horizontal/vertical/oblique/diagonal lines, optical lines and shapes, balance and symmetry, the symbolism of right and left, patterns, the horizon, clouds, the Rule of Thirds, the Diagonal Method, The Golden Section, perspective and depth, rational and intuitive composing, Japanese compositions, basic shapes and lines, Wabi-Sabi, color symbolism, graphic design factors, Gestalt Laws, basic general laws, the Ten Laws by Ramachandran, the controlled-demolition-effect, contrast, isolation, rythm, open and closed figures, peak shift, photographs which are taken at an angle, vectors, the symbolism of the square and the rectangular format, multiple subjects, remnant shape, etc.
Visual-psychological backgrounds: "Composition is not personal or subjective"
Although people experience their surroundings, images, photographs and paintings differently, according to their personal psychological make-up, they can recognize visual stimuli within one third of a second, meaning that the brain can process visual information into meaningful images, within this time.
That’s I call this process "visual-biological", because everybody can do this automatically, whatever their culture or upbringing. Within 1/3 of a second, people do not have the time to form an opinion about the visual image. Robert Solso says the following about this: "The shapes, colors, patterns and organization of forms are sensed and processed by your eye and brain in the same way as they are processed by everyone else's. To me, it is somewhere between surprising and astonishing that so few art scholars have taken heed of this fundamentally important aspect of seeing."
This recognizing-process, - within 1/3 of a second - , is also called "Nativistic Perception" in cognitive psychology. Solso says about Nativistic Perception:
"This first stage of the perception of art is largely independent of conscious control, and we are, in effect, enslaved by photons and physiology."
This means that people not only can recognize visual stimuli within 1/3 of a second, but at the same time can see the composition of this, of images.
The conclusion of this is that the perception of composition (of images) is an automatic process, and therefore objective or universal for all people in the world. It is not influenced by culture or education, because it is all about seeing, and not about written language.
People who work with images as a profession, have more experience with this of course. I discovered by chance that I was able to select three photographs per second concerning the composition of 100 photographs, when I was asked to select the best photographs out of these 100 photographs. (I thought it would take too much time to discuss each and every photograph, so I first selected the best compositions.) During this time (one third of a second), I was not able to form an opinion about each photograph, so the selecting process was "automatic", or "visual-biological-automatic".
It is more complicated when we are talking about directing our glance through an image, which takes more time of course, to study the complete composition and design of an image. This can take easily five minutes or more. Apart from the fact that discussing photographs is the most difficult task in photography of all factors in the totality of photography, cultural aspects have to be taken into account. For instance the left half of an image symbolizes the past, details and proximity, and the right half symbolizes the future, non-detailed things and faraway, but this is only the case with people who write and read form the left to the right, so with western written language. For Arabic and Hebrew, people this is reversed, because they write and read from right to left.
(This is the result of a scientific study done by E. J. Zwaan for the University of Utrecht.)
Design and composition
The choice for a certain design is based on a personal preference and view, and depends on the purpose of the communication and the target group. For example, you can photograph an American Indian woman, a bottle of wine or a car in different ways, concerning the design. But the perception of the result of this in the form of a photograph or painting, is visually objective: all people will look at this in the same way - as is explained in the section above.
This means that as a photographer, a designer or an artist, you have to take into account the laws of composition. For instance, the symbolism of vertical lines, the color red, or the symbolism of the left or right half of an image, are universally valid. If one goes against these laws, thinking that composition is "subjective", the meaning of an image can become incomprehensible to the public, or even contra-productive - and as a result of this the communication with the public could get lost. The fact that people can see various things in an image during the Top-Down phase and can project their own subjective opinions upon it, does not alter the immediate impression and the symbolism, which is universal.
Also, the public is very able to make the distinction between "good" and "bad" art, but they just cannot verbalize it, due to the lack of art education and experience. The reason for this is that all people look at images in the same way, including the public.
