What's poppin people? It's Dante. Welcome to module three. Composition for layering. And so the first fundamental principle I want to express to you is that composition is physical. Composition happens with the body. It's not in your head. You know, as much as we have two eyes that allow us to see, composition derives from your physical body and your physical positioning. You know, when I made this photograph of these children running down the sidewalk here in Baltimore, in order to put order to the frame and, and to make sense of the chaos, I had to drop to a low angle to separate the subjects from the background. And so your physical movement and your physical position is going to shape your image. Where composition is very simple. Composition is a result of where you place your physical body in relationship to the subject, the background. And when you click the shutter, where composition starts with your two feet, it starts with where you stand. And every small step changes everything. And so in order to separate the different elements within your frame with layers and depth, you're gonna have to start to move. You're gonna have to recognize the physicality of photography. Firstly, where the physical position that you make determines the compositions that you take. Right where the frame that you create on the street, it derives from movement, we have to recognize this. Firstly, where you're walking, you're observing, you're slowing down, you're shifting, you're responding. And that physical act of moving through the world is going to influence the photographs you make. And so here we have an example of a photograph I made. Boy doing a wheelie on his bicycle, riding along the streets of Philadelphia. And in order to capture this very quick, fleeting moment and add depth and layers to this single individual moment, using that background of the skyline, I needed to be quick on my toes and drop to a low angle physically in order to put order to this chaotic frame. And so we have in the foreground of the frame, the hero. The subject of my interest being the boy doing the wheelie of the on the left hand side, separating him from this beautiful background of the skyline on the right hand side, adding depth and layers to this frame. Finally, we have this beautiful blue sky separating that subject from the background. And so when I made this composition, it was a very split second, quick decision through my intuition to change my physical position. Dropping to a low angle, separating the moment from the background. And so when you're photographing, remember you, you're physically moving through space and time where your height will change the composition and influence the things that you create. When you're dropping low, raising the camera you know, these different micro adjustments and movements can strengthen the form of your frame, can simplify the frame and influence the compositions that you make. And so when you're layering, a lot of the time, you're gonna set your stage, you're gonna be still and waiting for alignment. And so when you stop moving, this is a choice, right, where you can now anticipate what moments that are occurring in front of you. So here in Penn's Landing, another quick, fleeting moment of a scene that I made of some boys doing some tricks on their bicycle. And I simply found myself at a position, anticipating this composition by looking at the light, observing the way the light interacts with the space that I'm photographing, and then waiting for the silhouette to enter the foreground in relationship to the scattered light and shadow in the middle ground. And then thirdly, in the background, that final subject riding his bike alongside the frame. And so by being still, I was able to wait for the alignment of the light and shadow play in relationship to these boys moving quickly throughout the frame. And so waiting is how alignment happens. And so I find that these rules and these sort of, like, ideas in photography, like the leading lines, rule of thirds, you know, these are all very basic ideas that I don't believe teach you anything, right? Where you have to actually go out there in the street and make photographs without these things in the forefront of your brain. Because. Because if you do have these ideas in your brain, it's going to cause hesitation and make you miss moments. And so stop trying to impress instead of express. At the end of the day, you know, all these sort of techniques and things that are extremely superfluous, where you must be an embodied reality and aware at the moment that you press the shutter. This is where the art of composition comes together. It's while you're out there on the street feeling the sights, the sounds, the smells of the street, moving instinctively moving your two feet, right? Where repetition. This is going to influence your intuition. Your body learns first, right? This, to me, is what it means to practice in embodied reality. It's a physical experience. Photography, your intuition is going to essentially create your composition. I think it's that gut. Second, that's when you press the shutter. That's the moment where everything comes together. So when it comes to making photographs and creating strong compositions, make sure that you're aware of your physical position and the way that the way in which you move is going to subtly change and influence the composition that you make. So trust your body now with geometry and structure. This is A very critical thing to consider when it comes to layering in street photography. Because geometry and form, this is already present in the world, right? This isn't something that you're going to impose or create. You simply recognize it through the way that lines, shadows and shapes kind of form in the spaces that you're photographing. It's not necessarily something that you have to force or impose. The cities are full of structure when you're photographing. And so here in Jericho, I was photographing a simple scene of this boy playing with a tire. And I made sure to compose this picture by utilizing the structure of this construction site to my advantage, creating a frame with within a frame on the right hand side, framing the main subject within that window. Finally, we have on the left hand side, the boy here in the foreground. Adding depth and layers to the image with the structure of this composition coming together through the way I position my body in relationship to these different shapes, to the construction site wall, to the window frame, and the boy outside of that window. And I believe when you're looking at life and all of its complexities, you're going to be drawn to the moment. You're going to be drawn to that boy playing with a tire, drawn to that subject that interests you. But in order to create a strong layered frame with composition at the forefront, you're going to have to synthesize that content with the formalities of composition. And look at the way in which you can put together a frame with structure. And so these sort of geometric structures that you find isn't necessarily something that you create. You recognize it in the moment when you're making a frame. So structure, this is what holds layers together. When you have a strong form, when you have a strong shape, when you have a strong background in an image that comes together naturally through the way that the geometry interplays. It's really going to help the moment within your frame be legible and readable and make the image more intentional and impactful. And so I believe that a lot of the best layered photographs are easy to read. You know, I find that simple shapes can be a powerful tool for you to make the photograph much more impactful. So sometimes I find a shaft of light, sometimes I find a background with a nice wall. I think that a lot of the simplest photos that we sort of, or a lot of the most impactful photos that we make are oftentimes the most simple photos. And this is one of those things in layering that I believe goes overlooked. Because with layering, you always are Going to be thinking that the composition needs to be extremely complex. But really layering, once again, it's all about structure and just putting order to a frame. It doesn't mean that you're stacking chaos for the sake of stacking chaos, but using the formalities of composition to elevate something mundane. And so layering photographs, layered photographs, they don't have to be complex, right? And when you're looking at the world and you're finding yourself in tune with the different shapes and these geometric ideas that you can sort of put together in your frames, they come together naturally, and they sort of influence the way that you position your physical body in relationship to the moments that you're shooting. For instance, here in Baltimore, I was hyper aware of the background and the way in which the light was casting upon the sidewalk. And the simple shapes that were formed from the. The curb to the stairwell to the windows in the back. And I was observant of the boys and the girls and the way they were playing in the street. And simply position my physical body in relationship to that simplified background. Using geometry, using the formal elements of composition to synthesize the interesting moment within the frame. And so structure is going to support humanity in your frame. It doesn't need to be cold or rigid. When you're making a composition, you're not out there putting together a frame with the rule of thirds in mind. But you're responding to your instincts and putting together structure with what you find. I believe that sometimes when you're making a picture, you might put a little bit too much emphasis in composition, or you might put a little bit too much emphasis in the moment. But the key thing that we need to hone in on when practicing layering, and especially within our ability to create composition, is synthesizing these two things and having balance and harmony between these elements in our frame to create breathing space and to allow the emotional depth of humanity be elevated within our frame, where the structure of the frame supports humanity in the frames that we create. And so I believe that, really, photography, as much as we can discuss composition, I believe, has nothing to do with photography. Photography has everything to do with the way in which you engage with humanity. And so the photograph that you make is a reflection of the way that you interact with public space. And so I encourage you to think more critically about how you engage with people, how you engage with the streets, how open you are and how present you are, as opposed to all of the things that you can sort of come up with in terms of, like, complex Compositional ideas and using reflections and lines and shapes. And so don't name these rules. Simply train your eye to observe right? When you're out there in the world. Make sure that you're honing in on pattern recognition, right? Where you start to observe at certain times of the day where the light falls upon a certain space. And the more that you become in tune with these very simple things, the more that you're going to be able to train your eye and start to notice geometry and how to impose structure within your frames. And so it's really important to seriously think more critically about how when you're out there on the street, you can hone in on the intuition and remove all these decisions from your brain. You know, I think it's important to recognize the physicality of composition and photography, generally, where you're moving through the world while simultaneously seeing. You're not seeing firstly and then moving, right? You're actually out there walking, moving, observing, waiting patiently and seeing and then clicking the shutter when things align. So photography, as much as it's a visual game, it's also a physical pleasure of being there in embodied reality. And so when it comes to intuition versus control and composition, we want to find harmony and balance between our instincts and our rational mind. And so the tension of making a picture on the street derives through order and chaos and trying to find that fine line between the two, where sometimes too much control can create a stiff composition, too much intuition can create too much chaos. And so strong work is going to live in between, with harmony between these two things. And so a composition, once again, it's a result of your intuition, that gut instinct, to press the shutter. And so when I dropped low to make a photo of these women here in Zambia, Africa, I knew that positioning my body at that angle would allow these subjects in my frame to become heroes elevated against that blue sky in the background. Using structure to create stability and to help elevate this mundane moment, to uplift humanity to a new height. And so with intuition, it's all about timing, it's about feeling. It's a not. It's not so rational, right? Intuition is going to be that thing that guides you on the streets. You know, when you're out there and you're walking, should I turn left? Should I turn right? You know that gut instinct is going to guide you. And then when you see a moment, when you see something unfolding that moment, you press the shutter. It shouldn't be something that you're thinking about so critically, but it should be something that you're almost intuitively responding to through your feeling, right? And so intuition is critical, but you have to have a fine line and balance between the rational mind and the intuition to create something cohesive. And so I think that what happens with beginners is you're going to start to impose control way too much, right? You're going to always try to line things up just right. You're going to be overthinking, second guessing and lacking that trust within your gut. But in order to overcome this hurdle and overcome this block of putting too much control, you really need to let go and sort of let the chips fall as they may. And don't take yourself so seriously when you're making pictures. Don't think about life so rationally when you're on a street corner trying to put together your frame. Of course we want structure, of course we want to have a sense of control, but you also have to let go simultaneously. And so intuition needs structure, because without structure, you're going to not be able to contain the chaos within your frame. And so when you're prepared, it's going to allow you to move more intuitively and respond more quickly. And so with intuition, you really need to practice with repetition, because with intuition, the only way to train your body and your mind to respond quickly is, is through putting in the reps more. And so the more that you photograph, the more this kind of spontaneous luck in street photography, if you want to call it that, becomes repeatable. And so it's something that requires you to be out there consistently with repetition. And so I believe that luck, it's something that you can force. You know, when I get lucky on the street, it's not because I was lucky, but it's because I was prepared. And so with control, I find that it's important to sort of build your structure firstly, right? And so when I'm at a scene and I'm looking at a moment, for instance, here in Zambia we have a graduation scene. I was very much aware of the moment, of course, and all these people that were gathered, singing as they're partaking in their graduation. However, in order to create order to the frame, I needed to build structure. Firstly, I needed to understand where I should position my physical body to control the sort of structure of the frame, right? And so basically at this moment, I made sure to center the hero in my frame and the center of the composition in relationship to the beautiful light and wall there in the background of this school. And so I wasn't necessarily controlling the gestures of this picture, I was simply controlling the structure of where I placed the four corners within the frame and. And allowing the gestures and the moments to spontaneously occur and allow it to unfold naturally. And so everything comes together naturally through instinct. You really can't impose your instinct. It's something that is very natural and primal. And I find that having that rational ability to put structure to a frame is critical. But it's also much more important to have the intuition that comes from the instincts to click the shutter at the decisive moment. And so when it comes to layering, we're going to be spending lots of time working the scene, making lots of pictures at a particular space or a particular place. And so trust is earned, right? Sometimes I've spent hours at a scene, you know, looping around the fountain here in my hometown, trying to make a photo of a rainbow in the fountain, you know, here in Mumbai, India, walking along these sort of outskirts of this slum in Bandra, walking along the railroad, getting to know the locals, taking pictures of people, talking with people, laughing with people, playing with people. And through watching and waiting and observing and interacting, trust is earned. And through that experience builds confidence. And through confidence, I get closer with courage. And the closer I get, the better I am at making a photograph that's impactful, with a strong composition. And so it's important when shooting to essentially go out there with a very open mind, right? You want to be able to go forward into the unknown without any preconceived notions of what you will find. You know, you have to really be in the flow when you're making photos where you kind of have to let go. You kind of have to make sure that when you're at a scene that you're not thinking so much rationally. Because all this decision fatigue, it's going to inhibit your ability to put together the composition in the first place. And so when it comes to making strong compositions, I believe it's extremely important to fill the frame. And so you'll hear this notion in street photography often about filling the frame. But I want to also make sure that you understand that filling the frame, it doesn't necessarily just mean crowding the picture with unlimited things, but it's all about eliminating dead space and filling the different areas of your frame with visual interest, strengthening the relationships between. Between the foreground, middle ground and background. And so the fewer distractions, the stronger the photograph. Very simply put, filling the frame is actually removing more from the frame. And so with proximity, you can create intensity. The closer you get, the easier it will be for you to fill the frame. And so here on the streets of Philadelphia, I was photographing these Jewish men on Shabbat Friday. And as they were partaking in their ritual, I got extra extremely close to this man in the foreground as he's looking back towards me, filling one third of the frame, creating visual and emotional impact and interest simply due to the fact that I am physically closer to the subject. And so by observing that person in the foreground in relationship to the moment on the right hand side in the background, it was very easy for me to fill the frame with a simple 1, 2 layered system from left to right. And so when you're observing life and you're making pictures and you're trying to create a strong composition, it's important to be observant of the edges, right? It's important to be observant of what you're putting within the four corners of the frame and what you're excluding from the frame. And so you want to make sure that you contain the frame, that you make sure that everything is orderly and tight around the edges. And so if the eye doesn't know where to go, the photo is going to fail. So the order that you impose in your photographs is all about using space intentionally. It's all about giving the subjects within your frame balance. You know, where the eye can rest when looking throughout your picture. That supports the structure. And so here we have a photograph that I made of some children playing in the tree here in Penn's Landing in Philadelphia. And as I approached this scene, I was of course, interested in the interaction between this boy grabbing the shoe of this boy who's playing in the tree. And so as I made the frame, I had the idea in my head that I could relate that moment to this man smoking a cigarette on the bench on the right hand side in the background. And so, because I was aware of that element of the man in the background, I made sure to physically position my body on the left hand side close to these children playing in the tree to create a filled frame from left to right. And so now with this composition, we have a visual feast where the eye can carry all throughout the frame. Because of the way that I basically put together the pieces of this puzzle with simple space that separates these different elements throughout the frame. And so you got to use space intentionally to create a filled frame with visual interest and impact. And so I think that the best frames have clarity over chaos, right where you like in a layered frame to have that sort of fine line of complexity and Chaos. But the clarity of the frame is much more important for me, where I want to make sure that there's energy in the frame without noise and distractions. Right? You want to make sure that the photograph is dense but breathable. And so you can solve these problems visually and physically by stepping closer, right? By shifting your position, by changing your height, by waiting for other subjects to enter the frame and waiting for people to leave the frame. And so think about photography like visual problem solving. And it's up to you to position your physical body in relationship to these things that are occurring on the street in order to put together that visual puzzle. And so it's really going to all come down to you and how you position yourself in relationship to life physically, when it comes to composition and photography. So when you're out there in the world, remember the physical nature of photography. I'm not going to sit here and teach you about leading lines and rule of thirds and all of these other compositional pieces of jargon, because, honestly, that stuff should not be in your brain whatsoever. When you're on the street, you know, when you're on the street, what matters is being committed to what's in front of you. What matters is being there and being present. Right. What matters is removing the hesitation and making sure that your physical position is in that proper space and time when you press the shutter. Because ultimately, photography and composition, it's a physical act. And so photography is really not about photography. Photography is all about engaging with humanity. You know, composition, this kind of stuff will come together naturally. You don't have to sit around and study compositions to understand how to move your physical position in relationship to the subject, the background, and when you click the shutter. These things you can intuit when you're in the moment. But I believe as a photographer, it's much more critical for you to hone in on your curiosity, your courage, your intuition. And that confidence that carries you where you're physically close to life will then allow you to create these more impactful photographs that are filling the frame. And so here I leave you with some encouraging thoughts to go out there and shoot. Go out there and practice. Go out there and put in the reps and recognize that simple fact that photography is physical, that composition is a result of your physical position in the world. And when you click the shutter, that is the art of composition. And so, thank you for watching today's module and I will see you in the next one. Peace.