I see this all the time when folks post a comment to a photograph, “Wonderful composition”. And to be totally honest with you, I just shake my head and say to myself, “that’s how they relate to a photograph?” Is that how these folks relate to their own photographs? They sit there at their computer and say, “OH, that’s wonderful composition” or “OH, that’s horrible composition!” I surely hope that’s not the case. I have no doubt I’m stepping on some toes right now but I’m here to tell you that not once in my forty years has an editor said to me about my photographs, “Wonderful composition.” Now they have said simply, “That sucks” and from that many issues with the photograph are described in which the arrangement of elements is included. But commenting on just the composition, that just doesn’t happen. So I have to ask myself, why and where did photographers get so hung up on composition? Seriously, we could start a Composition rehab facility and it would be filled all the time!
I have had many a discussion with editors about storytelling and the arrangement of elements in a photograph and if it either helps or hinders the storytelling. You might think that we’re splitting hairs here in word choice but quite the contrary. Composition has well defined rules dictated in part by math and in part by handicap. Arrangement of elements strictly has to do with the unique elements in the frame and their play amongst each other in a particular photograph. And the biggest discussion in the arrangement of elements is the play of light. Light leads the eye through the frame, speaks of emotion and brings life to texture. There is nothing in composition that speaks to any element of light. And that’s where Moose and composition part ways at rock speed! The living photograph, the one that speaks to the viewer does so with light, not composition! It will be hard to do as so many speak in terms of composition, but I want to encourage you to stop thinking of composition, measuring with it, so your photography will grow! It will be much, much harder for sure to think of the arranging of elements and using light because there are no rules, no guides except your vision, your voice, your heart (and of course, self doubt that comes with that). There will be times when you will “feel” the photograph and others won’t and that’s OK. Stick to your guns, speak in your own voice and heart through your photographs and you will grab heart strings. And with that, your photographs can change the world!