Five Elements of Photography

What makes a photo pop? Oftentimes, we have photos of common things composed in an ordinary fashion. It’s because we always look at a subject from a single theme or perspective. To make striking photos, we have to move away from the convention and look at ordinary scenes with an extraordinary view. It doesn’t have to be overly edited or filtered. Today, we will look at the elements of photography (which are similar to elements of art) that can turn a simple subject into a breathtaking one.

Engaging photos rely on order, and the main elements that bring and emphasize the order in a composition are line, shape, form, texture, pattern, and color. Every picture taken, intentionally or not, contains one or more of these elements, which are known as the 5 elements of photography.

Light

All pictures require light as a crucial component since it illuminates the scene or subject. It doesn’t matter if the light is artificial or natural; what matters is its quality and direction. Light may emphasize important aspects in a frame and aid to create a certain atmosphere in a shot. The combination of highlights and shadows produced by light may also aid in the creation of depth and textures in a picture.

Everyone is aware that there are innumerable books and tutorials on this topic, thus this post is not the appropriate place to delve into detail. To generate better-quality and more attractive photographs, however, we need to be aware that light is arguably the most crucial instrument we have at our disposal as photographers.

Read more about the importance of light in photography here.

Color

Similar to how light affects an image’s mood, color also has the power to emotionally affect the viewer. One of the key elements in a photograph that contributes to its enigmatic, thrilling, depressing, or dismal feeling is color. powerful visuals must evoke powerful emotions, and one of our main instruments for doing this is color. Again, this is a complex subject that will not be covered in this article. However, it is important to remember that by selecting the right colors for our photographs, we can more effectively transmit a range of emotions and have a greater influence on the spectator.

A more detailed approach to Color in Photography can be found here.

Moment

Highlighting a certain topic or event in time is only one aspect of a powerful moment. Having all the components in a framework together to convey an interesting tale is what should be considered while creating a moment in a photograph. When every element of the image interacts with each other in a way that makes the viewer feel as though they are witnessing something unique and probably not very frequently. Again, we should be considering this when shooting so we may strive to add more aspects that create a greater moment. Of course, not every photograph will be able to capture those exceptional moments where all the pieces come together perfectly.

Composition

In essence, composition is the process of arranging the elements in your frame to highlight the elements you want to stand out and emphasize. Although composition is sometimes very subjective, a strong composition may elevate an average scene to an attention-grabbing visual. There are many guidelines, rules, and principles for taking better-composed photos, but ultimately it’s up to the photographer to choose one that works in the particular circumstance.

Although we still have a ton of learning to do, by looking at other people’s pictures and going out and taking our own, we will unavoidably advance in composition abilities. A vital component of outstanding photography is developing pertinent and effective compositions.

Distance

The emotion and overall effect of an image will depend on how far away from the subject the photographer positions themselves. It will also help you decide at what focal length you should take the shot in order to fit all of the essential elements into the frame. There is no specific right or wrong approach, as there is with each of these five tools or aspects. Depending on the circumstances and the photographer’s goals, it will change. Having said that, certain pictures are more effective if they are taken up close since it gives the viewer a sense of being there. At a greater distance from the subject, some photographs appear far better. Thought should go into why we decide to position ourselves a specific amount of distance from our subjects and how it will affect the appearance of the photograph.

All photos in this article are taken with Huawei P20 Pro in Pro Mode.