The large, straight, brown redwood trunk contrasts with, yet also complements, the rhododendron, with its greens, pinks, and delicate shape. The photograph at the top of this post is a simple, classic juxtaposition between a redwood and rhododendron. The two elements could complement each other (moon and Half Dome mother and child), or contrast with each other (a chihuahua next to a Saint Bernard a 19th-century cathedral surrounded by skyscrapers). A two-item juxtaposition can be simple enough to communicate its message clearly, but complex enough to be interesting. That’s why one of the most common compositional themes in photography is a juxtaposition between two things. There usually needs to be some interplay between different elements to make the image interesting. It’s like a sentence with a subject but no object, or a story with a beginning and no end. On the other hand, including only one element can make the photograph too simple. And when composing an image, it’s best to make one point, or tell one photographic story, at a time. Better to keep it simple and make one point at a time. It’s like trying to make three different points in one sentence in your zeal to communicate everything at once you’ll end up confusing your listener, and all your points will get lost. But if you try to emphasize three or more different elements then you’re probably headed for trouble. What caught your eye could be one thing, two things, three things, or more. In other words, if a tree caught your eye, what is it about that tree that you find interesting? It’s shape? It’s color? The juxtaposition between the tree and something else? Part of the tree rather than the whole thing? Does something about the tree convey a feeling to you? If you can identify exactly what drew you to a subject or scene you’ll know what you’re trying to say, which is the first, essential step toward effective communication. The more specific you can get the better. I tell students to ask themselves, before composing a photograph, what caught their eye in the first place, and then try to include only that, and nothing else. When teaching composition I emphasize simplicity, because I think the single most common mistake people make is including too much in the frame. Redwood and rhododendron in the fog, northern California.

Keep it simple photography