This week’s tip topic is composition, and one of the standard recommendations is to keep it simple, uncluttered, empty of unnecessary features. For an example, we decided to use Gursky’s picture of almost nothing – grass, some water, some plain sky – that sold a couple of years ago for $4,300,000. We are not including a copy of the picture, for fear of breach of copyright, but you can see it in this Wired article. It is indeed worth taking a look at the photo, and spending some time considering whether, if you had a big win in the lottery, you might spend that much on it. You might not consider it worth $4,300,000 but you have to admit that the composition is simple.
However as you read the Wired article, you will see a second Gursky photo, and while it may be many things, simple is not one of them. Despite its lack of simplicity it sold for only a million dollars less than the other one.
As an exercise, think about a shot of a sandy beach, and imagine it crowded with bathers, beach balls, children, dogs, sunshades and whatever you are having yourself. Now sweep it clear, bring in and out the tide, and imagine it with just a line of footsteps leading to the water’s edge, with maybe a crescent moon just over the horizon. Which do you prefer?
Maybe good composition is simple. After all, $1,000,000 is a big difference.