I have lived in Arizona for 30 some years and yet I feel like there is so much of it that I have yet to discover.  I stumbled upon Arivaca Cienega by accident while on an aimless drive in Southern Arizona.  Part of the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge (which is now on my list of places to explore and photograph further), cienega translates from Spanish as swamp or drowned land.  This makes perfect sense as this area consists of wetlands with abundant bird life and has been designated by the National Audubon Society as an IBA – Important Bird Area.  If you are into birding or not, Arivaca Cienega is a great area for hiking and photographing.

The Heard Museum in Phoenix celebrates Native American culture, heritage and art.  The museum sits in central Phoenix and houses both permanent and rotating exhibits of ancient and modern Native American art.  The original  buildings of the museum complex have undergone numerous renovations and expansions since the early 20th century and now include both indoor and outdoor spaces that act as an ode to Native American culture as well as a gathering place in central Phoenix.

However, I was recently awed by a print of one of my images enough that I may have to rethink my whole view of having my photographs printed.  It started with being followed by and and following @photocanvas on Twitter, aka ZaZa Gallery.  They were offering free 16 x 20 canvas prints in exchange for a review of the finished product.  Free is a price I can get into and was happy to oblige.

The hardest part of the process was deciding which image to have printed.  Not having had any canvas prints done before I was not sure how it would turn out or what image would look good in this format.  I decided on one of my favorite images (on the right) of the Barrio Historico in Tucson, AZ.  I love the pops of color on the three doors and the clear blue sky above the adobe building.  So I sent the image off with no idea what to expect in return.

The result was amazing.  I got a 16 x 20 canvas print with a mirror wrap (that means the image is “mirrored” or repeated as the canvas wraps around the edges of the frame) and was blown away.  The colors were true to, if not better than, my original.  Every detail of the image is crystal clear and vibrant. The construction is very solid using archival canvas.  All I can say is “wow.”  This particular print runs $68.  I have never price shopped canvas prints so I have no idea of this is high, low or right in the middle.  But for the quality of the final product i got it is well worth it.

To start, composition in photography refers to how the elements in the frame are constructed and arranged to result in the desired final image.  There are a lot of these rules and a lot of expert opinions on how and when they should be executed.  Knowing them will help you be a better photographer and help you know when they do not apply to the image you are trying to construct.  I have already talked about framing the subject, leading lines and vertical vs. horizontal composition so up next is filling the frame.

Filling the frame is about making your intended subject the center of attention by doing just that, filling the frame, from top to bottom and left to right with nothing but your subject.  By cropping out the background “noise” and distraction you bring the subject to the forefront and leave no doubt as to what your photograph is about.  But as with all of these photography composition rules this is not an absolute rule.  You can’t zoom in on the intended subject and cut out everything in the background and expect a good rule obeying photograph.  Sometimes the background is part of the story or it enhances rather than distracts from the main subject or maybe that “distraction” gives your particular image the creative touch you were looking for.  This is where part two comes into play, know the rule and then know when it does not apply.