I'd like to get better at composing images in square format. Whose images should I be studying? Or put more precisely: what photographers in your opinion took the best advantage (regardless of school/movement) of the unique visual properties of the square aspect ratio?
Who are the masters of square composition?
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Well of course Irving Penn but more current is Micheal Kenna. The interesting thing about his work, to me, and I own several of his books, is that he very subtly makes some of his images un-square. It is slight and you more feel it than see it. By comparison to his very square images the slightly off square images feel more directional in composition.
Larry Fink
Pythagoras
He has a book on composition published by Aperture: https://aperture.org/books/larry-fink-on-composition-and-improvisation/
Oh I like him. Certainly Knows how to work his camera and subject. Kenna is too square on square for me.
Keith Carter.
Michael Kenna
Vivien Maier
Michael Kenna
Vivien Maier
I just started the Rolleiflexers Collective. We have several good square shooters, though not famous (yet)!
https://Rolleiflexers.com
Sometimes not famous can be even more inspiring.
https://Rolleiflexers.com
Sometimes not famous can be even more inspiring.
Arthur Tress.
Me.
Me.
Irving Penn is my favorite photographer. I visited the San Diego Museum of Photography a few years ago and they had a show of his work. The pictures are of course, phenomenal and the prints he and his assistants made are truly amazing. Worth seeking out to see in person.
Robert Adams and Lee Friedlander have both made effective use of the square...
Not going to single out any one of the photographers involved, but there is some exceptional work on display in this group.
Thanks, Larry!
I find squares easy to compose. I just think of it like shooting a record album cover.
TheFlyingCamera
Membership Council
Another current working photographer is Bill Schwab - he at least used to be a member here. He runs the annual PhotoStock get-together in Michigan.
I agree, it is more easier for me than other format. Most difficult is 6x7 - it is like almost square, but not really.
The compositional rules for photography are the same as with any 2 dimensional art form. You might take a moment to look them up and see how it works for you. There's only so much you can learn from looking at other people's work though. Like most things in life, it comes down to the old Carnegie Hall joke.....practice, practice, practice.
There's probably more to be learned from studying the compositional rules for paintings, even though most of them are about using different colours. For instance, putting a person or other living being in your picture means the viewer will first focus on that, and then the rest of the work. We're configured this way by nature. We're also attracted to high contrast, and our eyes will go to the area of the photo that has the most of it, so don't place that in a corner of the photo. After you've done this a while and know what you're doing, then you can break the rules.
Wouldn't hurt to take a class or workshop (these things are fun!) w/ someone who knows their stuff. When I was starting out as a painter, I had a large nude painting in progress on my easel when my friend and mentor stopped by the studio. Before he even entered the space he saw the painting and said "Her feet are too small". And they were. Hands and feet are really hard to get right. Sure, sooner or later I would have figured that out, but his comment saved me from continually making the same mistake over and over until I did.
There's probably more to be learned from studying the compositional rules for paintings, even though most of them are about using different colours. For instance, putting a person or other living being in your picture means the viewer will first focus on that, and then the rest of the work. We're configured this way by nature. We're also attracted to high contrast, and our eyes will go to the area of the photo that has the most of it, so don't place that in a corner of the photo. After you've done this a while and know what you're doing, then you can break the rules.
Wouldn't hurt to take a class or workshop (these things are fun!) w/ someone who knows their stuff. When I was starting out as a painter, I had a large nude painting in progress on my easel when my friend and mentor stopped by the studio. Before he even entered the space he saw the painting and said "Her feet are too small". And they were. Hands and feet are really hard to get right. Sure, sooner or later I would have figured that out, but his comment saved me from continually making the same mistake over and over until I did.
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Diane Arbus.
A lot of Avedon's fashion photography was done in square format.
A lot of Avedon's fashion photography was done in square format.
Keith Carter uses it very effectively. https://www.all-about-photo.com/photographers/photographer/778/keith-carter
Ralph Eugene Meatyard
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