Considering Composition.

I’m reading Photographically Speaking by David duChemin.  I’m enjoying reading his thoughts regarding how one chooses to “frame” an image - what one intentionally includes and excludes, and how that decision impacts the story the image tells.  “As craftsmen we have many ways of including or excluding elements at will.  We have optics with different angles of view, we have apertures capable of creating various depths of field that include or exclude elements within the plane of focus.  We can move around a subject, sometimes in every possible direction.  We can expose in such a way that we plunge things into shadow and hide them from view…  The role of the photographer is to make choices.  The frame forces us to choose.  And if you are going to choose, then it’s best that you choose while keeping in mind that the reader [viewer] will make that primary assumption:  that you included everything on purpose, that it means something.” 


Just for the record:  Yes.  Yes, I did very much intend to keep every last little piece of visual chaos in this frame.  I included everything on purpose.  I shot wide and at a time of day when the light floods the room.  My aperture allowed plenty of depth of field.  Behold the glory (?!?) that is my youngest dude’s half of his room.  His happy place = my crazy place.  These pictures tell that story.