Another week and even more wonderful pictures to enjoy. I hope my comments on why I think the photos work so well, don’t give you the impression that a person needs to study every element of composition to take a great picture. The reason the rules of composition work is that they fit into our innate preferences. We did not learn to like pictures that follow the rules, the rules were developed to help understand why we like certain pictures. If we listen to our instincts when framing and cropping photos, we will naturally find ourselves following many of the rules – because these rules are merely expressions of what our hearts and our eyes already know.
I like this picture from Anessa Stine of On Your Toes, the shoe blog. In additional to the cute styling that gives us a great casual look, I like the geometry at play. With her left side right on the center line, she divides the picture in half vertically, then with her pose, divides the right side in half diagonally. It’s caters to our natural desire to make order and find shapes in things.
I like this picture from LisaMun Aronowicz from Crazy About SL Fashion for a few reasons. We tend to like things to come in threes, or more accurately in odd numbers, and when she found herself with two lamps, she used the dragonfly to make a third light source, giving us a group of three after all. Note that the daisies on the left are balanced by the daisies on the right. The picture is framed on three sides by foliage and her avatar gazes into the one unbounded, open corner of the frame creating a feeling of optimism and expectation.
I love this picture from Ayumi Cassini of Ayumi Cassini Does Second Life. The pose is natural and the clothing, setting, hair and accessories all fit together. The bit of splash on her back foot as she strides through the water just makes me happy. It’s the perfect kind of attention to detail or serendipity that makes SL photography magic. I like photos that have a feeling of movement, that things are happening and the next snap won’t be the same as this one.
This picture from Anemysk Karu of Anemysk Style Diary is just stunning. Actually, all of the pictures in this post could easily be included because they all create a mood and tell a story that makes perfect sense with the setting, the avatar and the clothing. The pose, the picture, everything creates a gentle, ethereal mood of great moment. The angle, shooting from behind and below, lets us see from the subject’s eyes. That puts us on her side, so to speak, and draws us into a connection with her.
I love the use of depth of field and the unusual angle in this picture by Madeline Zenfold of I Will Fear No Evil. The star of the picture is the hair and jewelry and with this angle, that’s what we see best, the body blurring out of focus. From this angle, the flyaway hair is emphasized, showing the quality of the hair crafting. i love that she used this angle, it makes the picture dynamic, giving it a shot of energy and interest a more straightforward photo would lack.
I love this photo from Olela Parx at It’s Only Fashion and Olela Alert. The picture has a soft, gentle achingly lonely mood. By shooting from behind, we see what she sees – making our connection to the subject closer. The use of depth of field to blur the window and the view not only provides perspective, but adds to the melancholy mood. Having the subject so far to one side increases that feeling of being part of the picture. You can also see how the window framing helps to frame the picture and create an intimacy between the subject and the viewer. The view is bounded, not only by the frame, but by the trees – which also makes it feel more melancholy.
This picture by Tea Xofan of Ros Style is another great example of telling a story. The way she angles away from the shelves, she seems to looking askance. I can imagine her contemplating some gardening or cleaning that she really doesn’t want to do. The colors are rich and saturated and that adds to the dynamic feeling of the picture. This picture follows the rule of thirds in a few ways, not only with the placement of the subject, but also with the shelf being at two-thirds of the way up. Another way the picture works is in the use of lines. The picture is shot at an angle and then the avatar herself leans at an angle. You can see where the shelf meets her arm, the resulting angles make a perfect isosceles triangle. It’s a fabulous photo in so many way, before you even consider the delightful styling.
This picture by Miaa Rebane for her eponymous blog is just magical. I love the chiaroscuro lighting that emphasizes her face. I like the pose and how her right hand fits perfectly beneath bow and is revealed through the sheer fabric – all without intersections. Someone with less attention to detail might assume that the bow would cover any glitches, but it’s sheer because of its placement draws your eye, so it is critical that it be fitted perfectly. I love the unusual angle of the picture. It gives it a kinetic energy that a more customary angle could never do.
Update: Corrected photographer name from Sirena Spitteler to Madeline Zenfold. They share a blog and I confused the name.