New Design High School Photography & Identity : Composition & Vantage Point

07 Jun 2010, 11:30 AM by Bami

After returning back from a restful winter break the second group of first year design students explored photographic composition and vantage point. Composition refers to where the photographer places the subject in the frame. For example the subject can be in the center, left, or right of the frame. Vantage point refers to the location of the camera in relation to the subject. The photographer can hold the camera above the subject, below the subject and anywhere in between.

We looked at the work of various photographers and examined how they use the camera to tell a story. The purpose of the activity was to teach students that there were an infinite number of ways that a subject could be composed in a photo frame. The activity also gave them the chance to experience that they too could construct a more powerful photograph by first considering what they wanted the photograph to communicate about themselves to their audience.