Photography Ideas: Triangles and Composition

Photography Ideas: Triangles and Composition

One great way to grow your photography proficiency is to begin a photography project. Most likely, you will want to choose an idea that can serve as the basis for the project. The use of triangles as a compositional technique is one idea that you may want to try.
Triangles and Composition
There are numerous compositional techniques that a photographer can select. Whenever there are numerous objects in an image, the use of triangles is very effective as a composition technique. The technique requires composing an image in such a way that three or more objects form a triangle.
Three objects are required to form the points of the triangle. The sides of the triangle are formed by imaginary, diagonal lines that join the triangle points. Whenever objects are placed in this fashion, they create a very dynamic composition. A viewer’s attention will tend to journey back and forth over the diagonal lines from one triangle point to another. If there are more than three objects in the image, the additional objects will need to lie along the diagonal lines.
There are a couple of ways that triangles can be used: single center of interest and multiple centers of interest.
Many successful photographs have a single center of interest. In cases like this, one of the objects that resides at a point on the triangle will function as the center of interest. Of course, the other points on the triangle likewise have a function. They serve to strengthen the center of interest. Now, it is crucial that the other objects be subservient to the center of interest. This can be done in many ways. For example, these objects may have a decreased sharpness, saturation, or contrast.
Obviously, there are occasions when there are several objects in an image, and all of the objects are equally important. This is frequently the situation in group portraits.
In the case where there are multiple objects of equal importance, the result is that there are actually multiple centers of interest. When an image is composed with multiple centers of interest, it is important to set up the image to ensure that all the objects have an equal weight or presence in the image. Another way to say this is that no single object should be allowed to dominate the image. This approach is often utilized by photographers that take group portraits. The photographer arranges the heads of the group members in a triangle. Now, each of the group members is of equal importance. So, each individual should be given equal weight in the image.
Triangles have another function. They serve to set the mood in an image. Triangles with the base towards the bottom and the apex at the top are inclined to produce a feeling of stability. A more dynamic image results when the base is placed across the top or side of an image.
Launching Your Photography Project
The purpose of this project is to make a portfolio of photos which use triangles for the composition. You might want to create a portfolio composed of images of different subject matter such as buildings, landscapes, and people.