Working on Landscape editing

[xpatUSA]

I don’t think composition is what you’re looking for. Of course, a composition is part of the image. But it doesn’t include emotion.
George

Interesting. This lady might have disagreed with that:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Owens_Thompson
.

[Manfred M]

I don’t think composition is wat you’re looking for. Off course a composition is part of the image. But it doesn’t include emotion.

George

Strange as it may seem, but we find ourselves agreeing for once.

[Round Tuit]

Dan,
I enjoy most kind of music. Top of the list would be classical. Bottom of the list would be hard rock and rap which I can tolerate but do not really enjoy. Jazz doesn't even make the list. I react to jazz the way most people react to scraping finger nails on a blackboard.
Having said that, I do understand what you are saying. I know that "rules of compositions" are not rules but rather things to consider if they suit your purpose. I understand the design principles of contrast, balance, patterns, etc and how to use them to create the mood that I want, if any, for my pictures.
What I am looking for, assuming it exists, is the universal visual vocabulary that will make the mood of my pictures understood by others and conversely will allow me to understand what feelings are expressed in the pictures of others. Maybe that vocabulary does not exist in which case the "visual language" of photography is not really a language if you can't communicate with it. Or maybe I need to take a course in "Art appreciation"!
George and Manfred,
The one thing that this thread has shown is that there are many definitions of "composition". Whether it include emotions is not really relevant. Pictures can certainly evoke emotions and composition is an integral part of creating pictures.

[george013]

Strange as it may seem, but we find ourselves agreeing for once.

miracles still exist😀

George.

[george013]

...........
George and Manfred,
The one thing that this thread has shown is that there are many definitions of "composition". Whether it include emotions is not really relevant. Pictures can certainly evoke emotions and composition is an integral part of creating pictures.

In my view composition is the way of the ordening of the elements in a picture. Emotion would-be be how I expressed those elements.
In what Ted thought to be a good example the composition is quitte simpele, a portrait. The power is the expression of that woman, and the story behind it.

Also don’t forget emotion is personal. That same wood you described would have a different impact on you when you walked there when you just feld in love or when a nearest of you just died.

George

[Round Tuit]

... That same wood you described would have a different impact on you when you walked there when you just feld in love or when a nearest of you just died.

George

Quite true but so would the pictures I create of that wood be different.

[Manfred M]

The one thing that this thread has shown is that there are many definitions of "composition". Whether it include emotions is not really relevant. Pictures can certainly evoke emotions and composition is an integral part of creating pictures.

I find that people will try to take something fairly simple and turn it into something far more complex than it needs to be. Academics and artists sometimes seem to be the worst offenders here using a jargon that is only truly understood by the initiates. Professions and the trades are equally guilty as these groups also use a jargon (not a grammar) that use words and phrases that the uninitiated do not understand.

Composition is one of those terms where many use the word but often mean different things. Some refer to the completed image as "the composition", while others (including me) look at it as an element of how the image is organized, rather than the final product. It's not the only element that needs to be looked at from an organizational standpoint as the use of space (sometimes negative space) and distracting elements (things that draw unwanted attention away from the completed image).

Let me try to address the emotional impact of an image, which is in my experience both the most challenging and the most gratifying part of image making. No one will look at an image in exactly the same way as both our cultural background and our life experiences will impact how we look at things. There are no universal "truths" here, but as our audiences at this site are often people we share some common background with (developed world photo enthusiasts) there will be some areas that will work. Young children and young animals often invoke strong emotional feelings to people in this group.

The emotional impact of an image is often the most challenging part of putting together an effective finished photo. Mood (often established by some of the technical considerations the photographer has made such as the light, use of colour and photographic technique used) build on the composition. Let me go over a few high level areas and their connection with both the technical aspects of creating an image and the way we organize the image that will impact the emotional side of how we look at a finished photograph.

The subject matter can impact the mood; a happy child at a playground will have the opposite impact of someone grieving at the loss of a loved one. The mood can be enhanced through technical considerations; depth of field (shallow or deep), lighting, use of colour (or lack of colour in a monochrome image) can all either enhance the mood or downplay the mood. It is more of a challenge to portray a somber mood on a bright and sunny spring day than it is on a overcast and rainy fall day.

Imaginative portrayal of the subject will also have an impact on the viewer. This can be anything from technical considerations, such as the point of view taken by the photographer, the camera angle used (hint - a lot of pictures are taken at eye level with the photographer standing). Getting down to eye level of a child or pet is often a strong approach. Rather than standing and shooting, shooting from close to ground level can be effective. Shooting down (look at all the wonderful drone photos) can also be quite effective. Looking at the subject in an unusual way or using a focal length not normally associated with the genre can create very strong images. This is why nudes often have a strong impact in our society, just as unusual costumes and makeup does. Shots of disasters (local flooding comes to mind and fires) all have strong emotional impact on the viewer.

Impact on the viewer can be highly personal, but in general things that generate strong emotions in our minds are effective. Images of celebrities outside of their carefully controlled persona (hence the impact of paparazzi), stunning vistas, extreme opulence or poverty or well planned and executed still life images (Edward Weston's Pepper No. 30 comes to mind) all have an emotional impact on the viewer.