Review: A Modern Approach to Photographic Composition Ebook
When it comes to taking a quality photo, composition is one of the most important parts. Having the right angle, elements, viewpoint, and layout can really make all the difference.
Composition is something I’ve struggled with over the years. Particularly when there are a lot of things going on in a city or street photo. But sometimes with landscapes too.
Our friends at Contrastly recently put out a fantastic ebook on composition titled: A Modern Approach to Photographic Composition
In this review I’ll be going over some of the highlights from this brilliant ebook. My personal favorite part? The section about Wu Wei and other more philosophical concepts that can be related back to photography and artistic expression.
The Photographer Behind This
This ebook was written by professional photographer and author/educator, Adam Welch. Adam has a lot of experience taking beautiful landscape photos, portraits, and more.
Why You Should Read This Ebook
This is an ebook for people who want to get more serious about composition and taking well composed images. It’s especially good for people with a solid foundation who want to build on it.
This ebook is useful because you will learn about:
- The Golden Ratio and Golden Rectangles
- Properly framing photos of all kinds
- How to find symmetry and patterns naturally
- The Fibonacci Spiral and other advanced concepts
- The difference between positive/negative space
- How to get better at storytelling with photography
Photo: Contrastly
How to Use this Ebook
This ebook is a great reference and guide if you want to dive into composition. It’s also good for putting the lessons into practice. Adam uses many tools to help you when you’re actually in the field!
I particularly enjoyed the section on the Fibonacci Spiral. A guideline for composing an image, leading the viewers eyes around your image in a specific manner.
Adam talks about how he applies the spiral to his photos, and ways you can work with it by imagining/overlaying the spiral on your image. It’s now an exercise I can use while I’m out shooting, and it’s helped immensely at seeing new ways of presenting a photo.
This ebook is good because it genuinely is a modern approach to composition. Adam lays the foundation and educates you on the pillars and various ‘golden’ ratios and lines, but doesn’t limit the focus to just that. Through both incredible photographic and illustrated examples and great lessons, Adam makes it easy to apply these pillars in a modern way. A way that will help you take timeless photos.
Photo: Contrastly
More On My Favorite Part
Like I said above, my favorite part about this ebook is the section about Wu Wei. If you don’t know who that is, check out this post from The School of Life. Basically it is the idea of effortless action, or the art of doing nothing.
This is not to say being lazy, but instead in such a state of flow and concentration that our work feels or seems effortless. We become less resistant rather than more intense as we grow in our craft.
In his ebook, Adam shares some ways you can use this to your advantage with photography and composition.
Photo: Contrastly
Where do I get the ebook?
Get A Modern Approach to Photographic Composition Ebook from Contrastly for just $29. It comes in PDF format and can be read with any PDF reader, so you can read on your computer, tablet, and phone.
