Most compelling compositions...

[drewseph]

I just finished helping with a shoot, and then went in and flagged the shots I thought were most interesting. I noticed a pattern so I thought I would throw this theory out there and see what you guys think:

Are the most compelling image compositions those that create a triangle?

What I noticed was, the most visually interesting shots usually had two or more lines that drew the eye to a single focal point. Classic graphic design stuff. But acute angles were more interesting to me than right or obtuse angles. So yeah. Triangles.

Maybe it's something that creates a more interesting silhouette when you're shooting a single subject and it doesn't work so much in shots with multiple people/things, or in shots where the goal is not to frame most or all of a subject (i.e. extreme closeups of an eye or something), but I reacted strongly enough to wonder.

And so, my question to you guyssss: when you look at your favorite shots, do you see triangles? Or no?

 

[Casalen]

Yes. Dynamic lines/diagonals have always been known to be important, probably as long as people have been painting with compositional elements. I believe it to be because flat and right angles are comfortable and stable, literally; that's why buildings are based on it. That's how we're used to seeing things, so seeing it differently gives us something that stands out, something that isn't bland and regular. Rectangular compositions with the subject in the middle and subdued colors are comfortable and more thoroughly depict real life (when you look at a person in conversation, they usually end up in the center of your view), which makes it too comfortable, perfect if you want that effect. Same reason.

I also believe that the number 3, such as in triangles, is especially significant. We have two eyes, two sides for symmetry, two hands, two halves the brain. We see the world in black and white, good and bad, ugly and pretty, etc. A lot of dichotomies; we are a dual inclined species. Or planet, since I can't think of something that doesn't follow the pattern. Four is 2x2, which is easy, as is every even number. So odd numbers become more interesting. After 7 it gets harder for us to conceptualize the number in a visual form, since the shape it represents would be too complicated. So, the simplest number that goes outside of how we naturally view the world is 3. Like a triangle. There's more to it I'm sure, but the basic idea of that being important for being different stands.