Photography Rules: Rule of Odds

A photography group I belong to suggested for our next meeting in October that everyone talk about a photography rule. My assigned topic was the Rule of Odds.

Of course, my brain went a little far of field...

"May the odds be ever in your favor. The odds are never in your favor." -- Hunger Games 

"Against all odds." -- Movie title

"Never give up, never surrender, and rise up against the odds." -- Jesse Jackson 

"Never tell me the odds." -- Hans Solo, Star Wars.

Getting back on track, and consulting the Google Oracle, I found the following definition for ...

Rule of odds – The rule of odds states that images are more visually appealing when there is an odd number of subjects. For example, if you are going to place more than one person in a photograph, don’t use two, use 3 or 5 or 7, etc. ...Studies have shown that people are actually more at ease and comfort when viewing imagery with an odd number of subjects.  -- Four Rules of Photographic Composition - Elizabeth Halford

It's suggested that the odd number is always three. A Ted Forbes' video tutorial and a website called Composition Study (links at the bottom of this blog) both suggest that three is the ideal odd number.

Going through my older photos I found I am mostly drawn to the number 4 or 1 or crowds. Go figure.  Anyway, here are some photos that fit the rule of odds. You can decide whether these are more pleasing and comfortable and interesting -- odd number out. [Click on the first photo to start a slideshow of larger images.]

Slide Presentation

• Composition: Rule of Odds  - created for and presented to the October gathering of the Calgary Shutterbugs.

The Odds... a Canadian rock band.

Coming soon ... ZOMBIES!!!

 Links:

• Composition: Visual Arts - Wikipedia
• Four Rules of Photographic Composition - Elizabeth Halford
• Rule of Odds: Three's Company - Composition Study
• Photography Composition: Rule of Odds - Ted Forbes, YouTube video (13:41, advance to timeline 6:54 to skip the opening monolog)

Recommended Photography Books

Most of these I borrowed from the Public Library, but I would also recommend visiting the local Art College Library.

Tips:

• Tao of Photography: Seeing Beyond Seeing - Phillippe L. Gross

• The Moment It Clicks: Photography Secrets From One of the World's Top Shooters - Joe McNally

• Portraits - Steve McCurry

• Here Far Away - Pentti Sammallahti

• Photography and the Art of Seeing - Freeman Patterson

• Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Mind's Eye: Writings on Photography and Photographers - Henri Cartier-Bresson

• People Pictures: 30 Exercises For Creating Authentic Photographs - Chris Orwig

• Gregory Heisler: 50 Portraits: Stories and Techniques From a Photographer's Photographer - Gregory Heisler, Michael R. Bloomberg

Documentary:

• A World Within: An Intimate Portrait of the Little Bow Hutterite Colony - George Webber

• Last Call - George Webber

• People of the Blood: A Decade-long Photographic Journey on a Canadian Reserve - George Webber

• Karsh: Faces of Our Time - Yousuf Karsh

Photographer Biographies:

• It's What I Do: A Photographer's Life of Love and War - Lynsey Addario

• Vivian Maier: Out of the Shadows - Richard Cahan

• Vivian Maier: Street Photographer - Vivian Maier, Geoff Dyer

Just for Fun:

• Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs

• Hank Finds An Egg - Rebecca Dudley

• Underwater Dogs - Seth Casteel

• Underwater Puppies - Seth Casteel

Photo Films on Vimeo

When I'm not out taking photos my next favorite thing is films and films about photos. While trolling through Vimeo I did a search for films about photography, photos, or pictures.  Here are some of the cool short films that I found. Time well wasted.

• 30 Years of BAD Pictures from Bruce Dale

• Douglas Kirkland on Photography: A Life in Pictures from lynda.com

• Taking Pictures (Animated Short Film) from Simon Taylor.

• Night Photography: Finding your way in the dark from Walley Films

• Director & Cinematographer - FRANKOWSKI PICTURES from Frankowski Pictures

• School Portrait from Michael Berliner

Portrait Photography - video tutorials

Links:

• CreativeLive - Posing Tips for Photographers

winter

winter, a photo by Wanderfull1 on Flickr.

A mis-set point & shoot shot makes funky winter art. My Canon G15 was set for SCN hand-held night time shooting. On my way to work I noticed the woman walking in front of me dressed in a classy vintage style. I tried to quickly capture her. While some shots technically worked, this one seemed more interesting.

What is Composition?

What is Photography?

Very cool basic video on What is Photography... More findings while trolling the Net for free courses.

A Quick History of Photography

Spent the day trolling the Internet for free online courses and found a bunch of interesting basic lessons on YouTube's Creative Commons.  This is the first one... A Quick History of Photography.

Much of this I've already learned in courses I've taken at ACAD and SAIT.  So, in essence, I've just saved you hundreds of dollars. : )

Photographic reading

During all the hub-bub of the flood, when I was too wound up to fall asleep quickly, I read a few sort-of photography related books to calm me down.  I say "sort-of" because most of these are novels.  

The most recent read is "Eight Girls Taking Pictures" by Whitney Otto.  Otto is best known as the author who wrote "How to Make an American Quilt."  Her "Eight Girls Taking Pictures" is an homage to her favorite women photographers.  It reads like a collection of short stories starting from 1917 to current day.  Each character must come to terms with personal, professional, and even moral conflicts in their lives as they try to balance family with their art.  My favorite chapter has a woman having to decide what her greatest love is; staying content with her husband and children, running away to a old lover that beckons from afar, or becoming a famous photographer.  Each chapter leads with a photograph that draws you into the stories.

The other books I actually read back in May.  They are "Talking Pictures: Images and Messages Rescued From the Past" and "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" both written by Ransom Riggs.  Ranson Riggs collects old photos from garage sales, flea markets, antique stores, but only ones that have something written on them.  In "Talking Pictures" he shares some of his collection.  In "Miss Peregrine's" he bases his novel on select photos to create a fantastic story of time travel and orphaned children with special powers.   Both very cool in that in one book you imagine the stories behind the captioned photos and in the other Riggs' imagination, based around his photos, takes you to a fascinating world.

Every picture tells a story.  Whitney Otto and Ransom Riggs literally do.

A movie with music, mayhem, and a magic camera!

If you have this Thursday afternoon free, have a look at the Bollywood movie "Aa Dekhen Zara" playing at the downtown Central Library.

"Aa Dekhen Zara" is the story of a struggling photographer (aren't we all?) who inherits a camera that photographs the future!

When: Thursday, February 7, 1:00 - 3:30
Where: Central Library, 616 Macleod Trail, John Dutton Theatre (2nd floor)
Cost: FREE!
IMDB Link

groom

groom, a photo by Wanderfull1 on Flickr.

Last Saturday, just before the CPL Photo Club meeting, I wandered over to Eau Claire Market hoping to take photos of the buskers that usually play there. Instead, I found a beautiful East Indian wedding party in full celebration.

Men in bright blue tunics shouted, cheered and danced around a single drummer. Lovely ladies in their colorful traditional dresses danced arms raised just outside the circle of men. This groom and a little boy sat patiently on a sleepy-eyed white horse, just outside the dancing circle.

There were lots and lots of photographers there to document the event. The professional photographer and his assistants were there, of course, with their mono-pods and zoom lenses, but it seemed as though everyone attending the wedding party had a camera, as well.

Trying to photograph this lively wedding inspired me to write a wedding photography article for the CPL Photo Club blog.

Trik graffiti

Trik graffiti
Originally uploaded by Wanderfull1

One of the things I like about Flickr is that you can see how often a photo is viewed. My most popular photo is this one of TRIK graffiti on a pedestrian bridge cable. Since August 12, 2009 it has been viewed 196 times and is considered a favorite by 4 people. The second most favorite photo is one of the same cable taken four months later with two more graffiti tags added.

Links:

• Graffiti on Flickr
• People's Choice on Flickr

Sunrise 1

Sunrise 1
Originally uploaded by Wanderfull1

red summer dawn
sheer fire haze curtain
breathe ash air

- W. Martin, Aug 16, 2009

Relaxing recreation

Relaxing recreation
Originally uploaded by Wanderfull1

The cat: a little

body being used

By a little person

- J. Kerouac, Book of Haikus

Tossed Tim cup

Tossed Tim cup
Originally uploaded by Wanderfull1

Part of my Tossed series of photos that focus on the garbage people mindlessly leave behind.