On composition
I work hard on composition. I don’t like to make photographs which have tension or are unbalanced. I like them to look considered and well-mannered, so that they are easy to consume. I am a commercial photographer first and foremost, and I want people to understand my work very quickly. You’re not supposed to look at it and have half a dozen different readings.
The bit about being a commercial photographer obviously does not apply to me, but I do want my pictures to be easy to understand. Most of all, he hit the nail on the head with the balanced compositions. If the composition is all over the place, then it’s a thumbs down for me regardless of the subject. I also loath to crop pictures afterwards, so if it doesn’t work in the camera, it doesn’t work at all. Just about the only exception I make is when the 2×3 format is not suitable, or when the subject is moving (in which case I’m normally happy just to get the subject in the frame at all!). The small LCD display on the camera is a useful tool as it provides a compact overview of the composition. If I have the slightest doubt, I can fine-tune the composition and re-take the photo.
I am willing to bet that many other photographers - and people in general - yawn at my compositions. But in return, I find the more liberal, or “artistic” pictures just chaotic. Admittedly, sometimes the pictures require some tension and that’s easily achieved by breaking the rules of composition. But the strange thing is, if you break the rules right, so to speak, then the tension in the picture becomes self-supporting and you no longer consider the picture unbalanced. The bottom line for me is that in one way or another the image has to balance out without interpretation. If it doesn’t, I don’t like it. Simple as that.
