Three most important factors in producing a photographic image

[TheTrailTog]

My 2 cents on the OP's question...

1.) Vision - knowing what you want to capture
2.) Timing - being in the right place at the right time to realize that vision
3.) Ability - the knowledge and equipment to bring that vision and timing to fruition

 

[removed account4]

Yes but composition is about where objects sit within the frame. Timing (getting the subject where you want them by having quick reactions and an aesthetic sensibility) and time (the freezing or otherwise of such subjects), are two different things. A river in the bottom third of a shot will have the same influence on the composition whether your exposure is 1/1000 or two hours.

i see what you mean, i guess i am talking about TIME, not TIMING
TIMING is when things appear in concert ( or not ) in a frame and that is different than TIME ..

time renders objects differently depending on the length of exposure ( texturally and aesthetically ) and it seems to change the composition of the frame
whether it it is a long exposed streetscape, seascape or even portrait ...

to me at least composition isn't just static elements, but fluid elements as well ... and if something streaks across a frame, or has no texture, or a lot of texture,
it completely changes the composition of an image ... maybe it is splitting hairs ? ( i think i am talking about something completely different than you )

 

[Vaughn]

...A river in the bottom third of a shot will have the same influence on the composition whether your exposure is 1/1000 or two hours.

I will disagree with this. The texture of the water (either stock still or a blurr) can affect how it works in the over-all composition. A evenly-toned area can have a different 'weight' in the composition than an equally sized and placed area that has a lot of texture. The sun reflecting off that river will give that area in the image a very different 'weight' than if it is in shadow or lit from behind the camera.

Editted to add image (8x10 platinum print) -- the smoothness of the water allows the eye to move up to the large rock. I think freezing the water with a short shutter speed would have the rock sitting on the river's edge instead of hovering over it. YMMD

I am going to have to re-do my images one of these days -- the water is much smoother than the reproduction on-screen shows.

 

[cliveh]

I will disagree with this. The texture of the water (either stock still or a blurr) can affect how it works in the over-all composition. A evenly-toned area can have a different 'weight' in the composition than an equally sized and placed area that has a lot of texture. The sun reflecting off that river will give that area in the image a very different 'weight' than if it is in shadow or lit from behind the camera.

Well said.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

1. DxOMark score
2. Ken Rockwell's opinion
3. Artist's statement

 

[David Brown]

1. DxOMark score
2. Ken Rockwell's opinion
3. Artist's statement

Thought provoking ...

 

[DannL.]

Exposure, Processing, Presentation . . . I suppose. If I fall down in any of those areas, my chances of reaching my goal approach nil. When referring to exposure, that would be creating the exposure on the negative to meet your goal. Processing obviously would cover processing the negative and prints to satisfy the goal. Then there's presentation. If you can't present the work . . . that might be akin to playing a round of golf, but not being able to get the ball in the cup. It's fun getting there, but leaves you wanting.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Light, drama and exposure.