P#27 Q3: Using Elements of Design to Improve Your Nature Photographs

Learning to See

Brenda Tharp: Audri, I never took an art course past high school and I wasn't really great at the classes that I did take. If you put a brush in my hand, I'd be in big trouble. I did, however, develop some good visual skills through that attention to art in those courses, and then beyond that.

Over time I began to notice that nature had great patterns and textures -- lots of lines and shapes. There is just this wonderful beauty out there. I think that one of the things that we can do is to develop the skill of looking at the world more carefully so we can notice those lines, patterns, and textures.

First you notice how the shapes of boulders on a beach relate to the water behind them or to the beach sand. Then you bring those out in your composition. You emphasize them by your position or your point of view or the angle of view and the lens choice. All those things can help make the photograph better.

Study It

It may be a textbook approach, but you really need to study and get a better understanding of how elements of design can make a photograph better. For example, lines are a really strong element in a picture so you have to use them carefully because you might bring the viewer into the picture on a particular pathway or line.

On that same token you could just as easily pull them out of the picture more quickly than you want by that same line or another line that takes them off in a suddenly different direction. The composition falls apart because you've got lines that are going in opposing directions and the tension that results makes the picture not very effective.

It's a process of studying the elements of design and although I didn't take formal art classes beyond high school, I did read several books. It really helps me a great deal in my own vision. Then I ended up writing a book on it because I thought that it was so important that people have a guide and a way to understand how these elements of design can really help you.

In Conclusion

Learning the elements of design is very important, but that doesn't mean you have to get your design education in a classroom. Books, such as Brenda's Creative Nature and Outdoor Photography, can help you understand the elements of design and how they apply to your nature photography.