When faced with the compositional problem of photographing 'facing planes,' patience and a subtle, keen eye is essential. What I call the 'facing planes' situation is when the two primary subjects of a photo are facing each other - like the gentleman looking at an exhibit hanging on a wall.
If you were to stand in such a way that the wall is to your left, and the man is to your right, and you are centered, you will photograph the two men and the brick wall in the back. It's a difficult situation. Why? Because the image that you want includes both the observer and what the observer is observing. You want more of your subject's face and less profile, plus you want to show what is on the wall. So you need to stand facing the wall just a bit, watch closely, and wait for your human subject to move in such a way that you see more of his or her face - closer to a 45-degree angle and not a 90-degree angle (the two men in the background are 90-degrees to the camera). It's subtle, but there is now an 'interaction' between Mr. Boone and the exhibit. The picture frames and the wall continue past him (and in the background to his right) with with a sense of continuity. The nice arc of light behind his head, the spot of light over the gentlemen to the back, and the simple arched brick over the dark hallway goes black helps this photo's background to be clean, uncluttered and still contribute to the image. The florescent light in the top right corner isn't awful, but I could do without it.
The photo that was taken during a Thanksgiving dinner at the 11th Engineer Battalion dining hall shows a similar problem with the added obstacle of the food line. You can see where I tried my best to not shoot straight down the line (although I mostly did), and also tried to get the officers and soldiers with more than their profile. The photo still has too much dead space down the middle, with my two primary subjects barely in the frame at the edges. The wall and the activity in the background is cluttered with poor light, doesn't add much to the image and takes up a lot of space. (This photo suffers from other problems, too, like bad flash, but that's another topic.)
The painter and her canvas. This one was tough. I'm straddling a small amplifier behind a drum set and other stage stuff (pre-show) while stretching up and over to the left, trying to get some of Eileen's face as well as the finished Ma Rainey painting and the portrait in progress. Fortunately, Ms. Desterno began to work on the lower left part of the painting, so her back was no longer to the camera. Luck gave me the arc in her arm that flows with the arc in Ma Rainey's arm.
In this photo of the college students working on a Habitat for Humanity house, I waited for one of them, hopefully the young man in the center (who eventually complied), to turn slightly so that the picture would not be all backs of heads. His face represents all of their faces as they hammer away at the fascia. The young woman in the foreground helps this photo even more by having a slightly different stance, but not one that breaks the rhythm of their line. It's not a prize-winning image, but it is a successful story-telling shot that conveys how the students who come to Columbus each spring work together on the annual mega-build called the Collegiate Challenge.
Watch for these tough compositional challenges as you shoot. Recognizing them is half the battle, then be patient, watch closely, keep in mind what you want for your photo, change your camera position and, as always, experiment.
Robin
They call it, "Your source for science you can use." It beats unending cable reruns, and your kids can run amok and dazzle their teachers with their science reports. Type 'Georgia' into the Science In Your Back Yard link, which is where this map is shown with more detail. When I find the space photos, I'll link it up. Until then, check out the Astronomy Picture of the Day site from NASA. You'll love it, and it's easy to find their archived photos and once again, a ton of cool stuff about the stars.
