'My Morocco' exercise

Today I would like to share with you my experience with photobook that inspired me - 'My Morocco' created by Barbey, Bruno; Le Clézio. As I went to Morocco about three years ago, it reminds me about beautiful Moroccan streets and  nature. Morocco is such a good inspiration for photographers, we can find there many of interesting topics, wonderful colors and of course we can discover another culture's life. 

                                  'Agadair beach - Morocco' - 2019 by Iwona Kaczmarczyk

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                                                              'My Morocco photobook'

In this photobook there are many wonderful pictures of Morocco. We can discover fantastic patterns, shapes and citizens of this country. Here I show some images from the book:

On this picture we can see fantastic play of colors, yellow and dark blue. The rule of thirds leads us exactly to the person behind the 'door'. Then this person is wearing patterned clothes and all the composition of this image looks great. 

Here I can see fantastic contrast between something ancient and actual. Then I can see the rule of thirds, leading lines and the character on the right side. 

This image catched my attention because I see 'citizens of the city' both people and animals. Then there are shadows, colors and even some action. 

To begin my exercise with the photobook I took a pen, carbon paper and marked interesting parts of the photo and consider the photo composition. 

I discovered the rule of thirds in this image, the woman is exactly on intersection, a foreground objects that catches attention and also some leading lines.

Now I would like to discuss some rules that we ca follow by doing pictures.   


'The rule of thirds' 

The rule of thirds, the most basic of all photographic rules, entails dividing your shot into nine equal portions using a set of vertical and horizontal lines. With the imaginary frame in place, the most significant elements in your photo should be placed on one of the lines or where the lines meet. It's a good approach for landscapes since you may place the horizon on one of the horizontal lines that run down the bottom and top of the image, while vertical subjects (trees, for example) can be placed on one of the two vertical lines.

As we can read: "Using the rule of thirds in photography helps a photographer to capture engaging and eye-catching photos. A well composed and clean image always attracts the person watching the image. It also tells a bit about the photographer who captured the photo. And to improve your compositions the rule of thirds technique is an essential thing to learn". (Dam, P. 2022). 

                                                

 Here is the example of beautiful images which was created in rule of thirds

On this picture I can see a harmony between all of the landscape. The tree is 'placed' not in the center of image but exactly in lines of rule of third - on the right side. And I can see many of space in the left side. It proves that our object doesn't need to be in the center of the image to have interesting image. 

Here the sunset is exactly in the center and also it creates a beautifully composed image. The sunset goes exactly with the line. 

Here again we have main object on the left side. A lot of space on the right side. Again very good composition. 

Leading lines

Leading lines are lines that guide the eye from one section of a composition to the next. These lines usually begin at the bottom of the frame and lead the eye upward, from the image's foreground to the backdrop. Leading lines, when utilized as a compositional technique, usually move toward the main subject of a photograph. A river, for example, could bring the eye to a fog-covered peak in the distance, or a log could lead the eye to a breathtaking sunset. Leading lines can be anything: rivers or logs, as in the images above, but they can also be markers on a road, pointed rocks on a beach, lines in the sand, or the walls of a home - anything that looks like a line. (McKinnel A., 2013). 

       In this picture we can see the field path can be a leading line.  

Here we have pier which leads to the main character. 

Now I have clear mind how I should look for the composition in my own images. I can remember about some rules which makes images beautiful and interesting. Of course there is many more rules of photography composition  but for now these two rules are the most important. Next time I will be outside with my camera I will try to not just shoot images but remember about what I have learned about the composition. My theme will be architectural photography. Can't wait!

Sources:

https://www.ephotozine.com/article/9-top-photography-composition-rules-you-need-to-know-17158

https://vocal.media/photography/tips-for-using-the-rule-of-thirds-in-photography

https://www.photography-raw.com/how-to-use-the-rule-of-thirds-in-your-composition/

https://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-use-leading-lines-for-better-compositions/

https://www.photoblog.com/learn/leading-lines/

https://digital-photography-school.com/11-great-examples-converging-leading-lines-photography/