Great 9/11 Photos and Their Rules

Simplicity

In this photograph, the background is all the same color with not much distractions and the women is also covered in ashes, except for her face. I find this very simple while also using contrast with the color of her skin to the yellow ashes everywhere. It points you to the subject which is her and her expression- what she is feeling and going through.

Rule of Thirds

Even though it's a terribly sad photo, I find the colors and contrast beautiful. The Rule of Thirds is the damaged building and the rubble shooting out in different directions while being positioned at that bottom line of the Rule of Thirds graph.

Lines

There are lines everywhere in this photograph. Even though the subject is the building, the building has lines as well! The smoke makes your eyes draw along them until you find the subject of the photo- the building.

Balance

The first thing I think of when I come to Balance is color. If you have tons of contrasting colors and off-colors everywhere, it wouldn't be as balanced as it could be. With the blacks, greys, and whites in this photograph it gives the whole picture a very balanced feel. Balance can also create a mood in your photographs- and this one crafted an eery, depressing feel with its balance.

Framing

This is one of my favorite photographs out of the ones I chose (besides the balance photo below) but the framing in this is the portraits of people. The subject of the photo is the people- mainly the man closest to the camera. He is framed and your eyes draw straight to him being the subject.

Avoiding Mergers

Unlike Balance, I believe contrast is a big role in Avoiding Mergers. The subject of the photo is the piece of evidence of the plane that crashed into the Twin Towers on that terrible day. It is right in the middle and your eye goes straight to it. But if you notice how the background contrasts. The green and brown sort of clash, causing the subject to brighten and be more eye-catching.

Cropping

To focus on the two subjects (the former President and the Fireman), Cropping is used to only make these two the most clear and focused point of the photograph.

Repetition

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The people- who are the subjects- are repeating again and again in the photo. This photo expresses this rule very well with how many people there are.

Depth of Field

Because the photograph is focused on the Empire State Building, the background blurs out a bit, causing depth of field.

View Point

This photograph has a unique view point, creating a creative way of showing the memorial, the names, and the buildings of the city.