This assignment took me approximately 10 years to shoot, because I had absolutely no clue how to make it interesting. The idea was to break all the rules of composition but create captivating, dynamic photos at the same time, which I found incredibly hard to do. When it came to what subject matter I wanted to photograph, I hit a massive wall and could not think of one idea. So, to fix this problem, I just started carrying my camera around with me over the weekend and taking pictures of things that I thought were interesting or exciting. After many, many attempts, here is what I ended up with. All pictures were shot with a Nikon D3100 and a 18-55mm lens.
aperture f5.6, shutter speed 1/13
This first picture is of a fish that I found in my basement that I did not know existed but apparently has been in our house for a long time, so I thought it would be appropriate to document the experience. This photo breaks the rules for a couple of reasons. The very front of the fish's head, the subject of the photo, is right in the middle of the image instead of a rule of thirds position, and it's not even in focus. Both of these things are breaking some of the key rules of composition, but somehow with the rest of the fish's body and the background being in focus, it seems to work. Additionally, the rock and the plant on the left side of the photo and lack of anything on the right throw off the balance and make the photo appear as though it is very heavy on one side. The glass of the tank on the right side of the photo shows the reflection of the rest of the tank, which makes the picture look kind of awkward and out of the ordinary, but still very dynamic. Even though the fish is in captivity, the vantage point of the photo makes it look like he's breaking out of the tank and trying to get free, whereas if it was taken from a different angle it would look pretty ordinary and boring. The colours on the fish's body as well as the bright rocks at the bottom of the tank make the photo lively and intriguing, and the blurriness of the fish's head makes the photo a little bit different and more interesting to look at.
aperture f3.5, shutter speed 1/60
This second picture is of a tiny patch of grass I drove by over the weekend that I thought was really beautiful, so I decided to stop and take some pictures. I literally found it in between a bunch of houses and it looked so abrupt and out of place, since there were no other signs of flowers or anything else surrounding it. This is a sign that spring is finally upon us, and some early flowers like these ones are finally starting to come up, which makes me so so happy. I really hate winter and spring has been taking such a long time to get here this year that I was convinced it was never going to happen, but when I saw this beautiful area in the middle of nowhere that was so naturally beautiful and serene, it brightened my day very much. This particular area had so many flowers in bloom already that it looked really incredible among the rest of the barren trees and ground. This lovely trick of nature proves that even out of nothing, some of the most beautiful things can grow.
This photo breaks the rules in that it doesn't really have a main subject that draws your eye in right away. The bright blue colour of the flowers stands out from the other earthy tones in the photo, and so your eyes follow them towards the back of the picture, with the flowers becoming increasingly dense along the way. That technically makes them the subject, but when you first look at the image there is not one area that you would automatically look at first. The trees are all over the place in no apparent sequence or pattern, which according to basic rules of photography, is a bad thing. I think, however, that in this picture it just seems to work. After all, nature doesn't grow according to the elements and principles of design. If there was yet another subject added to the photo then it would detract from the flowers and the point of the image would no longer be about the natural beauty of nature, but instead the image would not really have a meaning at all.
This photo breaks the rules in that it doesn't really have a main subject that draws your eye in right away. The bright blue colour of the flowers stands out from the other earthy tones in the photo, and so your eyes follow them towards the back of the picture, with the flowers becoming increasingly dense along the way. That technically makes them the subject, but when you first look at the image there is not one area that you would automatically look at first. The trees are all over the place in no apparent sequence or pattern, which according to basic rules of photography, is a bad thing. I think, however, that in this picture it just seems to work. After all, nature doesn't grow according to the elements and principles of design. If there was yet another subject added to the photo then it would detract from the flowers and the point of the image would no longer be about the natural beauty of nature, but instead the image would not really have a meaning at all.
This final photo was taken at the yoga studio where I work. I really love yoga and all the positive aspects it brings to my life, and getting to spend time with all the other people there who share this feeling makes me feel so incredible. This studio is really gorgeous full of knick knacks that I have always loved; they make it such an inviting space that I can really connect to and enjoy spending time in. This table in particular has a jumble of things sitting on it that I really like and jumped at the opportunity to photograph. For example, there are 4 different statues of Buddha in this picture alone, which represent different things like wisdom and peaceful intentions. There are also some potted plants, as well as a wooden sculpture that reads "inspire", which is a really beautiful word. The whole area gives off a very positive vibe. This photo is rule breaking in many ways. Firstly, this picture has no balance. Everything is arranged on the table at random, with the left side looking a lot heavier than the right. Many of the objects on the table also sort of blend into each other, creating different mergers all over the place. The left side of the photo is also somewhat engulfed in shadows, which makes it appear much darker than the rest of the photo and adds to its imbalance. To top it all off, the photo is not taken straight on but instead on a slant, which creates the illusion that everything is going to fall out of the picture. All of these things together work to make this photo harmoniously disheveled. This is kind of representative of life, which is just a jumble of occurrences that all culminate to develop your character and ultimately shape you into the person you are. If everything in the image were perfectly neat and pristine, then the image would lose its meaning and would just become a picture of a boring old table.
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