“Sometimes making a photo with good composition just requires recognizing a good scene when you see it.”
That’s how Dan Westergren, director of photography for “National Geographic Traveler” magazine, ends his 2013 article called, “The Simple Truth About Good Composition.”
All semester, students in News Photography COMM 2316 have been learning about what makes “good composition”. Is it centering the photo’s main subject? Or not? Does it have to do with balance? Angle? Color? Contrast? Maybe. All of the above.
Sometimes good composition includes finding patterns and lines that draw a viewer’s eyes in. Patterns and lines often do that. They are considered pleasing.
The challenge for the photographer is recognizing them. They exist everywhere, in nature and in everyday items.
The photos in this gallery are the results of a patterns assignment. Students were given 30 minutes to find three “interesting” pattern shots. They could have chosen to stay inside the COMM/ENGLISH building or venture outside. For at least one of the shots, students had to use the “closeup” mode on their mirrorless cameras.
These are the patterns and lines they found.
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