Where to place.
- Thread starter Needa
- Start date
Fred Kingston
Senior Member
rule of thirds
It might depend on the bridge type (deck (low) vs truss (tall)), it's length size, lighting and what's around it that might limit your composition. In this case, the bridge is long, but foreground clutter didn't permit me to stand further away, so composition was limited and a wide angle lens was required. (Nikon N2020, 35mm, Kodachrome)
In this one, an end view worked best to fill the viewfinder. A tree and house roof on the other end limited other angles. (Nikon N2020, Kodachrome)
I find that a neat perspective is looking down on a bridge, though I've not had many opportunities for these. (Nikon N2020, 50mm, Kodachrome)
Your recent photo of the FEC train on the bridge was excellent!
In this one, an end view worked best to fill the viewfinder. A tree and house roof on the other end limited other angles. (Nikon N2020, Kodachrome)
I find that a neat perspective is looking down on a bridge, though I've not had many opportunities for these. (Nikon N2020, 50mm, Kodachrome)
Your recent photo of the FEC train on the bridge was excellent!
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Fred Kingston
Senior Member
Break all the rules...
Yes, but what points. In the posted photo at the left the bridge is at a 1/3 and the second piling on a 1/3 or the middle of the boat. It still looks off. Balance? Both the trees and the boat on one side or just the position of the boat?
Fred Kingston
Senior Member
There's no rule other than a few of the standard composition rules... as soon as someone defines a rule, someone else breaks it... When rules don't seem to fit... tell a story... If the image has a very interesting story, the composition rules seem to fade into the background...
Thanks for the examples. Middle one for me like that level, most train shots are looking up at the engine not down or level.
Was looking for a different perspective, same bridge. Have to plan the shot the bridge is so short lucky to get two shots. May have to find a longer bridge. No train this am one of us was late.
Horoscope Fish
Senior Member
Bracket your compositions and see what works. Sometimes you don't know what works until you see it.
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... Have to plan the shot the bridge is so short lucky to get two shots. May have to find a longer bridge. ...
That's why I normally leave my D5100 on rapid fire. Just blast away and pick the best frame with the train where you like it.
In your above shot sans train, I'd have maybe pulled back so as water, bents and bridge consumed the lower third of the frame, and with the front of the locomotive on the leftmost bent and the top third of the frame filled with that beautiful sky. Adding 'Flipper" doing a splashy and theatric tailstand would be a nice touch too .......
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That's why I normally leave my D5100 on rapid fire. Just blast away and pick the best frame with the train where you like it.
Adding 'Flipper" doing a splashy and theatric tailstand would be a nice touch too .......
So something like this.
Flipper and FEC both failed to show.
I respectfully disagree. It's not as simple as that when comes to bridges. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it works in the middle, sometimes off to the side, sometimes on top sometimes on the bottom. It's like sex.
Dawg Pics
Senior Member
On this image, if I enlarge it on my iPad screen until the far left column is at the left side of the image, it looks better to me.
Sometimes thes angle shots are difficult to make sense of composition wise.
I have no advise on composing bridge images.
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Something like this is with a bit less sky what I had in mind, but if you have the space, I'd back up a bit further for more of a horizontal composition. Now all we need is a train to fill in the proper amount of frame with the engine pilot just short of the leftmost bent. I agree with the others though, it's hard to develop a rule on these kind of shots. Oh, I've heard that Flipper is soon moving to an upscale dolphin retirement community.
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