The document provides guidance on composing effective visuals and photographs. It discusses various factors to consider such as the chief focus of visuals, composing great pictures by establishing a center of interest and background, using techniques like the rule of thirds to arrange subjects, and tips for photographing people.

1. Visuals Catches the attention of readers In many cases, visuals make it easy to illustrate product benefit in a single glance. Helps decrease, if not do away, with body copy in certain cases.

2. Determining the Chief Focus for Visuals Package containing the product Product alone Product in use How to use the product Product features

3. Determining the Chief Focus for Visuals… Cont’d Comparison of products User benefit Humor Testimonial Negative appeal-What happens if you don’t use the product?

4. Package containing the product

5. Product Alone

6. Product in Use

7. How to Use the Product

8. Product Features

9. Comparison of Products

10. User Benefit

11. Humor

12. Testimonial

13. Negative Appeal

14. Composing Great Pictures Visualize a concept for your picture. What do you want it to say? Choose a subject matter. Decide on a center of interest Pick the picture orientation Establish the distance and point of view Plan for action

15. Composing Great Pictures… Cont’d Working with the background Arranging all visual elements within the frame

16. Decide on a Center of Interest Most prominent object in the picture Either the brightest object in the photo or at least not overpowered by a brighter object Only one center of interest should be in the composition Avoid putting the center of interest in the exact center of the photo.

17. Pick the Picture Orientation When using pictures for a slide show, use horizontally composed images If subject has dominant horizontal lines, use horizontally composed image. Vertically composed if vertical. Use square composition if vertical and horizontal objects in your picture are equally important.

18. Some orientation examples

19. Arranging your subjects Choosing the subject distance To convey a feeling of space and depth, move back a bit or use wide-angle lens. Make sure your subjects don’t appear too small when you’re moving back. They should still be large enough to be interesting. For photos that emphasize a person or a group of people, move in as close as you can. Move so you fill in the frame completely with interesting things.

20. Optimizing Backgrounds Check your background to make sure it is not gaudy, brightly colored, or busy. For portraits, a plain background, such as a seamless backdrop can be effective. Outdoors, trees, grass, cloud-studded skies, plain walls, and other textured surfaces can make good backgrounds. Watch for strong lines or shapes in the background that don’t lead the eye to your subject. Consider using depth of field (the amount of the image that’s in sharp focus) to make your background blurry.

21. The Rule of Thirds Divide the frame into thirds horizontally and vertically. Try to have important objects, particularly your center of interest, at one of the four intersections of the imaginary lines that divide the picture. Avoid having objects at the edge of a picture unless the part that isn’t shown isn’t important.

22. When to break The Rule When your main subject is too large to fit comfortably at one of the imaginary intersection points. If centering the image would help illustrate the concept. When you want to show symmetry.

23. Rule-breaking example

24. Some Corollaries If your subjects are people, animals, statues or anything that you think of as having a front end and back end, make sure they are either facing the camera or facing into the frame, rather than out of it. If objects in the frame are moving or pointed in a particular direction, make sure they are heading into the frame, rather than out of it.

25. Some Corollaries… Cont’d Add extra space in front of any fast-moving object (such as a race car) so the object will have somewhere to go, while remaining in the frame. 

26. Using Straight Lines and Curves Composing with lines Look for straight lines in your image and try to use them to lead the eye to the main subject area. Find diagonal lines to direct the attention to the center of interest. Use repetitive lines to create an interesting pattern. Curved lines are more graceful than straight lines, and can lead the viewer gently from one portion of the composition to another. Look for shapes within your composition to add interest.

27. Using lines (example)

28. Balancing an Image Create a symmetrical balance by having the objects on either side of the frame to be roughly of similar size or weight. Create a nonsymmetrical balance, have the objects on opposing sides to have different size or weight.

29. Framing an Image In the foreground, look for obvious framing shapes in which you can place your composition. Make your own frames by changing position until foreground objects create a border around your image. Place your frame in the foreground. Use a frame to create a feeling of depth.

30. Avoiding Mergers Mergers are the unintentional combining of portions of an image. Follow these steps to avoid mergers: When composing an image, look behind the subject at the objects in the background. Then, examine the borders of the image to look for things “attached” to the edges. If an unwanted merger seems likely, move the subject to either side, or change your position slightly to eliminate the juxtaposition.

31. Photographing People Capture satisfying portraits Make it possible for your subject to look their best. Get to know your subject’s personality. Provide comfortable surroundings to help people stay relaxed.

32. Taking Your First Portraits The Diamond Pose