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Composition, the design of a photograph, is what immediately sets one photo apart from another of the exact same subject, grabs a viewer’s attention, engages the brain and invokes other emotional feelings.

I took the photo to the left with my Canon PowerShot D200. It is a nearly-overhead view of a little girl learning to play chess for the first time. It follows the Rule of Thirds pretty much dead-on, but it’s an effectively photo because of the way color is used in the composition as well.

Oh, what’s the Rule of Thirds? It’s a concept in which you divide a picture frame in to equal thirds horizontally and vertically (see image below), and you want to place the focus point of your subject near the intersecting vertices. Notice that doing so puts a subject slightly off-center, but this is a good thing. By following the Rule of Thirds, you inherently create tension within the picture frame and that tension draws your viewer’s eyes. It also allows you to effectively put secondary design elements into your frame. In the photo of the little girl, your eye is drawn to her assumingly pensive face as she contemplates her next chess move (which practically dead-center at one of the intersection points). And then your eye is drawn to the chessboard (specifically the area where her finger points next to a pawn, again extremely close to the intersecting points.

Notice, also, that the way I composed/framed this photo, I’m slightly overhead and filling the frame with only the little girl and the chessboard. From this high vantage point/perspective, everything else in the room is framed out and we are squarely in the world/mind of the little girl. Imagine the same little girl doing the same thing, but I shot a profile shot… The surrounding, irrelevant elements in the room would also be in the photo. Imagine the shot, if I was closer to her eye level… Then the image wouldn’t have the encapsulated feeling that it does, and two main subjects would not be at opposite ends of the frame; squared off as if they are dueling against each other –which they are, as she is remembering the piece movements. At eye level, her body positioning would not be as gripped into the moment at hand.

So vantage point, filling the frame and placement of objects in the frame to create a balance are the key components that you must take into account even in the simplest of pictures. By being aware of these components, you can make mundane subjects exhilarating.

I also mentioned color. The neutral blue of all her clothing (and to some extent the chessboard) is on opposite side of the color spectrum as her skin tone. So her face and hands pop out of the photo, too.

Below is another photo that is more complex in its design and execution. But the same elements come into play – vantage point, filling the frame, specific focus point/depth of field and placement of objects in the frame at the intersection points (the Rule of Thirds) – and cause this photo to be highly dynamic, yet still very “simple”.

As this is a black & white photo, the monochromatic tones are also important (the same way the intensity of color is important in a color photo). The main subject – the woman having make-up applied to her face right before a concert – can be seen through all the clutter in the mirror; in fact, she’s the only element that is in sharp focus and rendered with discernable detail. All the other elements are of stark tonal contrast – deep blacks AND strong whites – but with sufficient detail and shape so you know what they are (or out of focus enough to provide form, but nothing else). The distribution of tones throughout the image creates depth and dimensionality – one of the key things for impressive photography.

This was shot with a Nikon N80 using Kodak Tri-X 35mm film. Really no different in the “work” than the photo of the little girl shot with a digital Point&Shoot camera. The same criteria apply regards of what type of camera that you’re using. It’s all in the execution of the composition.

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I take mostly amateur photos, when I’m on holiday. It is not even my passion to take pictures, but I like to have my memories from all over the world in digital format.

I like everything about BeFunky, I spent hours and hours playing around with all the photo effects. It’s the first website where I can explore and create interesting stuff with my average holiday pics.

The Oil Painting and Impressionist Effects are my favorites, I guess because I always liked Monet’s Impressionist paintings of the water-lilies.

There are impressive amount of effects. I recommend it to everyone, because it is super easy to use. Without having Photoshop and stuff, you can let your imagination run wild and create BeFunky “art”.

I’ve always wanted to pimp my pics and now I’m happy I’ve come across BeFunky.

Now finding the images to run through the process was the first and perhaps most daunting part of this exercise in style. And then I remembered this photo that I took in Tijuana, Mexico about five years ago, prior to Mexican Wrestlers and their masks becoming “cool.” In this hole-in-the-wall store off Revolution Avenue, I found this store that had three whole walls of Mexican Wrestler masks, and I had to get a snapshot. The pulsating colors, exotic designs and raking camera angle made this a memorable image.

However, for some reason, I felt that the strong colors were a little garish and sort of made this photo hard to decipher. Well, maybe that’s not entire accurate, more like the atomic red of that center mask dominates the image so much, do you really look at all the masks? Or does the composition get drowned out by the stark colors?

Whatever the case, after feeding the image into the Grunge Effects Filter, the new images (I did twice, for markedly different results that I’m pleased with, which one do you like better?) take on a totally different feel.

The first new image was achieved by using Grunge Effects 5, with some amp’d up shadows. The image is closer to a tinted monochromatic print and the texture from the line work/stitching on the masks creates a more haunting, lost emotional expression than the original image.

The second version of the image, in which I used Grunge Effects 1, has a hazy shade of winter value to it, and the black level has been amplified to a marvelous effect.

The almost glowing effect conjures up the quality of a fog bank moving in near the seashore just at daybreak. That kind of wind swept imagery is subtle, yet very powerful.

So after I created and posted that image of my old girlfriend with the Inkify Effects filter, a friend of mine sent the link to this woman from my past, and she was pleased with the image.

We’ve been talking (via Facebook) since then, and she sent me a new photo of her (she’s an aspiring actress in New York), and was wondering what this image would look like after a trip through the Grunge Filter Effects set. I found one two that were interesting, one feels like a Sheppard Fairey knock-off from his now-famous Obama Campaign poster, and the other is just a super distress image. Both of the new images have a strong “graphic art” quality to them, and they seem to leave a much stronger impression of Kara than her original headshot (maybe because the photographic grammar of a headshot precludes it from truly standing out).

The narrow blue & red color palette in the first image enhances Kara’s eyes, gives them a serious kick; is it because you’re not distracted by her luscious hair? Plus it feels like there’s a lot more going on behind her eyes, as if she has several new dimensions that she’s considering. In the final image, the more pronounced contrast and smattering of color in what is basically a black & white image, reminds me of ‘80s NYC street poster art (aren’t they called snipes or something like that?), and the image squarely sits in the realm of bold visual expression. Nothing individually jumps out at you in this image, but that’s okay, because it’s the entirety of that now has more meaning and impact.

I had a chance to printout both of these images 20×24, and they turned out great (with some tweaking to get the Color Management right; that stuff is always a headache, but well worth it in the end to get exactly what you want).

I’m considering printing the second image of Kara on canvas and the first Mexican Wrestler mask on Watercolor Paper (that texture is really cool, and I know it’ll give the masks a secondary kick!)

Until next time…

BeFunky: What kind of photos do you take?
Erin: It’s all over the place, really. I’d say my favorite things to photograph are old buildings, graffiti, big fields, brightly colored plastic objects, my dog and cat, strange things at the grocery store, and random things around the house. I try to bring with my cameras with me everywhere I go in case I happen to find something I’d like to take a picture of.

It seems that you like toy camera effects like Holga and Lomo. What makes them special for you?
I’m obsessed with toy cameras. I currently only have one, a Holga Micro-110, but I hope to get some more in the future. I love the look of photos taken with toy cameras so until I’m able to get my hands on the real thing, being able to use these effects on my digital photos is great.

Can you give any tips about using these effects? What kind of photos, effect settings, etc…
A lot of the pictures I edit on BeFunky were pictures I wasn’t satisfied with on their own. They might have been too blurry or just kind of boring. Before deleting photos I usually try a few different effects on them to see if I like them better. I would recommend this to anyone who takes a lot of pictures and ends up deleting most of them.

Also some effects don’t work as well on certain types of photos. For example, I’ve found that the Inkify effects look better on pictures of buildings, power lines, stuff like that.

What do you like best about BeFunky?
I like that it’s easy to use and that there’s a wide variety of different effects.

Anything you don’t like and wish would change?
There really isn’t anything that I don’t like! But adding more effects is always a good thing. I love the Lomo, Holga, and pinhole effects so more of those might be cool.

If you’d like to learn more about Erin, or see more of her work, visit her blog at http://eringreif.blogspot.com

So I was looking for a nighttime cityscape photo, and came across a candid photo the other day, and for the life of me I couldn’t remember where the photo was taken.

I knew the people in the photo (me and Kara, an old flame), but where was the setting, when did this take place (we saw each other off and on for like two years, so it could have been any time)? What time of year was it? Ironically, the photo to the left happens to be the only surviving photo of Kara and I that I have, but I don’t really like it. And I want to remember the emotional memories of our brief time together. I can see the dreaded on-camera flash was used (when it should have been bounced or diffused… and wasn’t).
So this has been sitting in my “misc. photo” folder for some time now, and I wanted to see how I can make it more je ne sais quois.

So I dipped this photo into the Inkify Effects Filter (3), and came up with something that is more pleasing (to me at least).

The non-descript and therefore distracting background (i.e. the couch and those lights) disappears and while the flesh tone color rendition dramatically shifts, the portrait now appears more striking, more ethereal, more like we were discovered in the still forming recesses of my mind, like in a new book. I particularly like what Inkify does to Kara’s hair – the dark patches and the brighter highlights give it (and her) more definition, more uniqueness.

So now that I liked what the final results were with Inkify, I wanted to see what it would do to another party-style “candid portrait”. My friend Michael was getting married, and we decided to take one of those “We’re hard-core dudes!” photos reminiscent of the original NWA album cover, “Straight Outta Compton“. So we all leaned over the camera in a huddle and took a few photos.

So, yeah, as you can see we were acting like some complete idiots; but hey, why not? A new chapter was being turned in my friend’s life – if you can’t act like a fool now, then when?

The original image is just a decent B&W image, not too much contrast or hot spots or deep shadows. However, after dipping this photo in Inkify Effect (3), the new image is more haunting and foreboding – which is exactly what we wanted in the original and failed to achieve.

The contrast is starker, which also depresses the midtones and enhances the highlights. The menacing fear that we wanted with this photo is clearly achieved after exposing the photo to the Inkify Effect. Now I can put this photo in a frame and send it off to my friends… they’ll get a kick out of it.

So Inkify does a lot of work that a Brightness/Contrast Adjustment layer in Photoshop, but it does more… it seems to influence the Levels as well. At least that’s the result when working with a B&W image. The effects are different for a color photo, as you can see in the first set of images. Sometimes you want to a devious feeling to your photo. Usually an idea that comes to mind after the fact; well, here was a chance to obtain that feeling without having to go back and reshoot or do too much trial-n-error in Photoshop.

I started this post talking about how your mind’s eye works when reading a book to paint a picture of the character, settings and times. Both these photos had specific drives in their original creation that weren’t achieved with standard photography, and the more abstract nature of the final results do circle back around to the literary influence that I was talking about and striving for. Pretty neat, huh?

BeFunky: When and how did you get interested in scrapbooking?
Jana: Growing up in a family that owned a printing/copying business, paper has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I loved to go to my dad’s shop and take home several sheets of all the beautiful colors to make books, drawings, and cards with. My love for paper bled over to Mrs. Grossman’s stickers, mini Hello Kitty stationery sets, markers, colored pencils, watercolors, office supplies, and art classes in school. When I was in high school, my mom attended a scrapbooking home party. She came home and showed us what she had made. I immediately thought to myself, “I want to do that!” Ever since then, I have been scrapbooking in one form or another.

About 4 years ago, I started to make scrapbooking a part of my daily life. As a mother of young children, I loved the creative outlet it gave me. I began participating in online challenges and design teams, which helped me to push myself creatively and try new things. I love that I can spend an afternoon In my office creating a scrapbook page and walk away with something that fulfills my creative spirit but also pays tribute to what is most important to me in life, my family.

What are your favorite products and embellishments?
I have a love affair with patterned paper and buttons. I was organizing my supplies the other night, and I thought to myself, “Oh, goodness. I’m THAT lady.” You know, the lady where once you’ve passed on your family comes to organize your private things and are flabbergasted at all the little bits and pieces you’ve collected over your lifetime. But, hey… it’s good that such simple pleasures make me so happy, right?

Where do you go for inspiration?
For me, inspiration is everywhere! I love looking at the designs in print ads, children’s clothing, wedding blogs, and beautiful interiors. I especially love to study the shapes, color combinations and textures in interior design and then try to translate those ideas into a scrapbook page.
When I’m feeling stuck for ideas, I love to browse the internet, saving inspiring pictures to an Inspiration folder on my desktop and jotting down ideas or color combinations that move me. After I do this exercise, I usually have a flood of ideas and I’m itching to play with some paper.

What kind of photos do you take?
My favorite photos to take are of my children. They are like little cartoon characters that wear their personalities and emotions on their sleeves. Their body language and facial expressions tell such great stories. They change so quickly, too. I have a philosophy that you will never regret taking too many photos of your children, but you will regret not taking enough.

How, specifically, did BeFunky change the way you post process your photos?
I love that I can take a casual snapshot and make it FABULOUS! Let’s face it, I’m just your everyday, amateur photographer. But with the features on BeFunky I can make my pictures sing with emotion and creativity.

To whom would you recommend BeFunky to (if you would)?
I would recommend BeFunky to anyone who loves taking photos. Isn’t that all of us? It can be frustrating to take a photo and then come home, look on it on your computer and realize that you didn’t quite capture the feeling of the moment that you were going for. With BeFunky you can add that depth to your photo that will make you proud of the pictures you take.

If you’d like to learn more about Jana, or see more of her work, visit her blog at www.janaeubank.com

We really had a hard time to choose from David’s creations to put on this page’s limited space.

BeFunky: When and how did you get interested in photography?
David: Since I was a little kid… My dad used to have a bunch of different cameras and I always enjoyed going out with him and shoot. It’s amazing the kind of pictures a little kid can take…

What kind of photos do you take?
I take all kind of pictures! I am a photographer of LIFE! There’s beauty all over the world. There’s always an image ready to be captured. The world is full of textures, colors, emotions, smiles, shapes, people, cultures… you name it!

What gear do you use?
The “gear” that I use is the best in the world: My eye, creativity and love for photography! You can have the most expensive cameras, lenses and all you want, but if you don’t have creativity and an eye for photography… forget it! Just do something else.

How, specifically, did BeFunky change the way you post process your photos?
BeFunky is a very cool and easy to use tool. I hate using Photoshop because it’s so complicated to use with all those “layers” to manage and all kind of complicated stuff.

What do you like best about BeFunky?
The variety of cool effects that you provide to us. And I combine your BeFunky effects with other effects that I have of my own and my pictures turn out awesome!

What don’t you like and wish would change?
I can’t think about anything right now but, I can suggest a couple of effects that you might want to add, such as negative picture, mirror effect and just turning pictures in plain colors like Picasa does.

What value does it add to your business/hobby?
Oh! BeFunky adds a great artistic value to my pictures… People loved the way a manage my creations.

What do your family/friends say about your creations?
They absolutely love them! All my friends and family are my best fans!

To whom would you recommend BeFunky to (if you would)?
Everyone who cares about adding that special touch of creativity to their work.

Check out David’s website for more: davidmayaphotography.webs.com

I have some photos from my friend’s bar in Hollywood, just detail images that are fairly interesting images, mainly due to the super-saturated colors.

Something that is hard to avoid directly with a digital SLR or even a digital Point-n-Shoot. And while my friend’s bar happens to be in the same physical location of an old Hollywood haunt from the 1950s, I wanted my images to invoke that era and which ones are ripe for finding a way to represent the bar through that vintage era skein.

Here’s the same image with the VintageColor Effect (4) used to enhance the photo. Notice the differing, narrower color palette that metamorphoses this super-saturated photo to an unique image.

The hyper blue is still there, but it’s been punctuated with a green tint that happens to reduce the specular quality of the glass. In reducing the glow, we’re not able to see more details through the glass and there’s a discovery of more details in the shadows.

The VintageColor Effect pushes this image’s coloring scheme such that it’s reminiscent of some sort of slide film stock from the 50s and 60s or color Kodak prints that weren’t stored properly and the color has began to shift and fade.

Now it might seem that the overall, final affect I want from the last series of my images that I’ve blogged about have a nostalgic feeling, which I will say is true… and the BeFunky Effect filters do provide that option, that aesthetic… and I think that has to do with the analog nature of pre-digital photography has the tendency to instill a sense of anticipation… what’s the exposure going to look like? How are the colors going to be reproduced and rendered? Those questions are removed from the process with today’s digital cameras and digital workflows.

Again, you can readily see in the below image, after applying VintageColor (1), the intensity of the hyper blue from the fluorescent bar light is muted, and the depths of the shadow detail in more pronounced and give more nuances to the picture.

The recessed lighting is barely visible in the original, yet those lighting fixtures interrupt the deep shadow area and the intermittent spacing of the fixtures breaks up the darkness just enough to create a pattern, a motif that seduces your eyes all the way back to the corner where the “Exit” sign is; which is also muted, yet is more readable.

The VintageColor Effects Filter also subdues the vivid, blood red of that God-knows-what wall installation (and its details are enhanced); this balances out the photo by reducing the high color contrast. In the original, the red is almost garish and it immediately grabs your eye, causing you to skip over the hanging cocktail glasses – the true subject of the photo.

Vintage is an oft-used term these days as people find a different level of respect and craftsmanship & design from products and qualities from 30 or 40 years ago. And it’s no different with the color palettes from those early days of consumer color photography. It brings these photos to life in a much more apparent and powerful way than their original incarnations.