Blog Design 2

 Composition

Background

During the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, I went outside to assess the damage. What I found was that a very large and old oak tree had been uprooted, and the trunk split in two. The tree fell on our back neighbor's house, the fence, and our side neighbor's tool shed.

Rule of Thirds

My current focus when talking about photo composition is the rule of thirds. The rule of thirds is the most popular and simplest rule to follow regarding photo composition. In the following two photographs, I attempted to position the top part of the fallen tree in two grid lines that intersect on both the portrait and landscape shots.

Foreground Interest and Depth

Foreground interest and depth are other composition elements in photography. In the next photographs, I attempted to demonstrate these elements with the tool shed and again with the top of the tree. The photo with the tool shed in the foreground helps us understand the scale with the remaining tree towering above. Placing the top of the tree in the next photo's foreground provides depth and demonstrates the fallen tree's size.

Diagonals and Triangles

In the final three photos, I wanted to focus on the diagonal lines and implied triangles created by the fallen trees and branches. The large chunk of branches missing from the tree in the tool shed photo creates tension, in my opinion. I feel grateful that the damage was not as bad as it could have been; at the same time, it creates a feeling of uneasiness about the remaining tree.

 

The branches of the fallen tree create diagonals and triangles and speak to the destruction left behind by Hurricane Milton.