Scientific editors Alexander Zheleznov, Ekaterina Petrova

Published with permission dpunkt.verlag GmbH

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the copyright holders.

© 2014 by dpunkt.verlag GmbH, Heidelberg, Germany.

Title of the German original: Komposition

ISBN 978-3-86490-141-6

Translation © 2017 by Mann, Ivanov and Ferber. All rights reserved.

© Translation into Russian, edition in Russian, design. LLC "Mann, Ivanov and Ferber", 2017

* * *

Foreword

Photographers, artists and other craftsmen visual arts pursue a single goal: to display the world around them. Understanding the environment through images begins in early childhood. I started drawing as soon as I could hold a pen. It has become a habit and later a profession.

As a schoolboy, I went on a bike tour in southern Germany. My parents entrusted me with a folding camera, and that's how photography came into my life. In those days, I could afford to buy only two films of 16 shots, which were to be stretched over 14 days. On this page you see my first photo. It was printed on barite-coated paper. Today, having a camera with me is as natural to me as a sketchbook or sketchbook.

Drawing teaches us to be more attentive and see. By drawing, I greatly improved my camera skills. And vice versa: I learned many important artistic techniques in drawing through photography.

The ability to paint good pictures and create heartfelt shots does not come immediately, but with long practice. Recipe for success - artistic taste and a solid training in the visual arts, to which is added a knowledge of composition and various techniques work with images. How all this will be reflected in the photo, you will understand by the reaction of the audience.

Graphics, painting, photography involve the placement of compositional elements within a field of fixed sizes. How to support or highlight the main object with the help of surrounding elements? How to position an object relative to the field of view? Where to place the horizon line? How does the viewer look at the photo? In which direction should the diagonal line point? How does light affect the overall effect of a photo? it important questions compositions. I dedicate my lectures on visual design at the University of Mainz to them and explain them with examples from the arts, including photography. I take some pictures for the sole purpose of emphasizing the importance of composition.

You may regret the gradual disappearance of film cameras, but digital cameras have significant advantages. For example, the display screen frame is an incredibly useful tool for creating the perfect composition. The result is immediately displayed on the screen, and the camera turns into a notepad for sketching: you can keep successful shots and erase the rest. No additional equipment is required, as when shooting on film.

Photography is the best illustration of the wide possibilities of composition. That is what prompted me to write the book. I deliberately left only black and white pictures so that the color component does not distract attention and readers can fully concentrate on the main compositional elements.

I have written this book for my former students and also for my course students; for beginners and advanced photographers; for graphic designers; artists and illustrators and, of course, for artists who work exclusively with photography. I hope it will benefit anyone who wants to learn how to professionally evaluate works of art, be it drawing, painting, graphic design or photography.

Albrecht Riessler, July 2014

Scientific editors Alexander Zheleznov, Ekaterina Petrova

Published with permission dpunkt.verlag GmbH

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the copyright holders.

© 2014 by dpunkt.verlag GmbH, Heidelberg, Germany.

Title of the German original: Komposition

ISBN 978-3-86490-141-6

Translation © 2017 by Mann, Ivanov and Ferber. All rights reserved.

© Translation into Russian, edition in Russian, design. LLC "Mann, Ivanov and Ferber", 2017

Photographers, artists and other fine arts artists have a common goal: to depict the world around them. Understanding the environment through images begins in early childhood. I started drawing as soon as I could hold a pen. It has become a habit and later a profession.

As a schoolboy, I went on a bike tour in southern Germany. My parents entrusted me with a folding camera, and that's how photography came into my life. In those days, I could afford to buy only two films of 16 shots, which were to be stretched over 14 days. On this page you see my first photo. It was printed on barite-coated paper. Today, having a camera with me is as natural to me as a sketchbook or sketchbook.

Drawing teaches us to be more attentive and see. By drawing, I greatly improved my camera skills. And vice versa: I learned many important artistic techniques in drawing through photography.

The ability to paint good pictures and create heartfelt shots does not come immediately, but with long practice. The key to success is artistic taste and serious training in the field of visual arts, to which are added knowledge of composition and various techniques for working with images. How all this will be reflected in the photo, you will understand by the reaction of the audience.

Graphics, painting, photography involve the placement of compositional elements within a field of fixed sizes. How to support or highlight the main object with the help of surrounding elements? How to position an object relative to the field of view? Where to place the horizon line? How does the viewer look at the photo? In which direction should the diagonal line point? How does light affect the overall effect of a photo? These are important questions of composition. I dedicate my lectures on visual design at the University of Mainz to them and explain them with examples from the arts, including photography. I take some pictures for the sole purpose of emphasizing the importance of composition.

You may regret the gradual disappearance of film cameras, but digital cameras have significant advantages. For example, the display screen frame is an incredibly useful tool for creating the perfect composition. The result is immediately displayed on the screen, and the camera turns into a notepad for sketching: you can keep successful shots and erase the rest. No additional equipment is required, as when shooting on film.

Photography is the best illustration of the wide possibilities of composition. That is what prompted me to write the book. I deliberately left only black and white pictures so that the color component does not distract attention and readers can fully concentrate on the main compositional elements.

I have written this book for my former students and also for my course students; for beginners and advanced photographers; for graphic designers; artists and illustrators and, of course, for artists who work exclusively with photography. I hope it will benefit anyone who wants to learn how to professionally evaluate works of art, be it drawing, painting, graphic design or photography.

Albrecht Riessler, July 2014

Composition is the combination of individual elements into a single whole. In the visual arts, graphic elements interact in the same way that notes, rhythm, and instrumental calls do in music. Sculptors, architects, and urban planners work with 3D components, while drawing, painting, graphic design, and photography must place flat elements within a predetermined image space. In most cases, this is a rectangle with all the important components of the plot.

On the picture: City scenes, Aspra, Sicily

The viewer instantly develops general impression from a photograph, even if the eye is initially unable to recognize the details. The effectiveness of an image is determined by its composition, formal organization. Even a technically perfect shot with the right subject chosen will not impress the viewer if it is not supported by an attractive visual solution: the content and its layout must merge into a single whole.

The composition consists of various elements with their own unique qualities. They can contrast, giving it expressiveness, or complement each other. Everything that is present in an image is always considered relative to its boundaries.

The shapes and sizes of the frame, as well as the relative position of objects in it, can produce completely different results. Always remember this.

A familiar phenomenon: the view from the hotel window. There is not much to see: only trees and a piece of white building blocking the view. Bad luck! A decent photo from the rest will not work. Is it time to give up? Not!

Closer still, a pole and electrical wires come to the fore. The large monochrome area of ​​the building is contrasted by a thin line of wires, and their dark silhouette forms a sharp contrast of light and shadow. Now it remains to remove the upper horizontal border of the wall from the center. Slightly changing the focal length, you can enter the edge of the roof into the frame, leading the eye into the spatial depth of the image.

A successful photograph must combine photographic vision with effective composition. And the more you own the latter, the faster you will achieve results. If you add to this the knowledge of the technical capabilities of the camera, the number of successful photographs will increase markedly. Capturing memorable shots requires patience and intentional immersion, as you can see from the shots on this page.

About the book

The book lays out the basic principles of composition, illustrated with 250 beautiful photographs. By using this information in your art, you can develop your photographic vision and the ability to frame your shot perfectly. The pages are deliberately black-and-white images so that you do not get distracted by color and focus on compositional...

About the book
The task of any artist is to connect the individual elements into a coherent whole in order to convincingly tell a story or express emotions. That's why it's important to understand the rules of composition, no matter what kind of art you're into. And photography is no exception.

The photographer has an advantage: you can immediately see the result on the display digital camera and improve the work in the process. But for this you need to know what exactly needs to be adjusted.

Albrecht Riesler is sure that a solid understanding of the basics of composition is no less important than observation and technical skills in handling a camera.

The book lays out the basic principles of composition, illustrated with 250 beautiful photographs. By using this information in your art, you can develop your photographic vision and the ability to frame your shot perfectly. The pages are intentionally black-and-white images so that you do not get distracted by color and focus on the compositional elements.

The book will teach photographers and artists to better understand the possibilities of visual language.

Who is this book for?
For beginners and experienced photographers.

For designers and artists.

For everyone who is interested in the art of photography.

about the author
Albrecht Riesler started painting as a child and hasn't stopped since. Drawing played a key role in his development as a poster artist and visual artist. He studied pedagogy, studied art and technical subjects in various schools for 10 years.

In 1980 he founded an illustration studio and worked on a number of books and magazines. In 1988, Albrecht Riesler was hired as a professor of drawing and illustration at the University of Applied Sciences, Mainz. Image composition is a key theme of his courses and publications.