Bluebird Meadows of Stevensville, Michigan

Photographic Fundamentals #5
Keep It Simple

All text and images protected by Copyright 1999 Michael S. Brown
Be sure to visit your library or bookstore for more information on photography.

More is not always better.   Returning to Fundamental #4, "So What's Your Purpose?", you should have decided on a purpose or theme for your photo.  In achieving your purpose, you can usually be more effective by keeping your photo as simple as possible.  One way to view this fundamental is from the opposite:  The more complex a photo, the more the viewer is confused about what he should be looking at - and the less likely you will be in achieving your purpose.

EXAMPLES

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Consider this photo of a fisherman and the St. Joseph, Michigan lighthouses.  The composition included only one fisherman.  If there had been many fishermen in the photo, it would not have been as effective.

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In this flower photo, there are multiple flowers, however, there are only two which present a full view.  The flowers have been arranged in a flat plane and they are all in focus.  The rest of the flowers in the meadow have been omitted from view, or are blurred in the background.  Isolating this small grouping made the photo simpler - and added visual impact.

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