Compose Your Frame

This photo makes me so happy. What's not to love about a bright yellow hot air ballon with flowers that is framed by a bright blue sky?

I took this photo last weekend, July 3rd, at America’s Freedom Festival At Provo’s Balloon Fest. We had to be there at 6:30 a.m., which was a big deal, but it was worth it. 

I used design elements, like the rule of thirds, diagonal movement, and vectors to compose the photo.  The photo is creates the feeling that the balloon is coming down or floating away. Also, since the balloon goes past the frame, a emotion of intensity is felt. 

Rule of Thirds: The photo is split up into a grid of nine sections. From bottom to top, the basket fills the first section; the balloon fills the middle section; there is a line in the balloon's seam that lightly breaks the top section from the middle. Vertically, the basket separates the two outside sections, and creates the three sections of interest.

Diagonal Movement: The basket in the frame is not perfectly lined up with the edge of the frame — instead it sits on a diagonal. If the line of the basket lined up with the line of the frame, the photo wouldn't be as dynamic. 

Vectors: The seams in the balloon create very strong vector lines that guide the up toward the top of the frame. The seams also fan out around the basket, which also creates movement.