We were treated to an inspiring and thought provoking talk by Susan Clark from Conwy Camera Club who shared her knowledge and experiences on the topic of “Composition – Rules and Myths”. 

Sue had extensively researched the way in which composition contributes to the impact and visual appeal of an image with some of the so-called rules dating back to ancient times. The Fibonacci rule of numbers was discovered in the 12th century and shows up in nature, human anatomy, structural designs, the shape of spirals etc.  The Golden Ratio is also a mathematical concept that can be seen in landscapes like the Pyramids of Giza through to modern day designs of corporate logos.

Lots of compositional techniques ranging from use of colour, textures, shapes (especially triangles), leading lines, cropping, rule of thirds, flipping images and others were illustrated with myriad examples from the world of art, television, film and photography. The psychology of viewing an image and deriving emotion and aesthetic pleasure during the process can be strongly influenced by the subconscious effect of many of these techniques which permeate our daily lives.

It’s fair to say that we will all look through our camera viewfinder with a refreshed and more educated viewpoint.