Composition is the brains of every image. It's one thing to have interesting elements, but they need to be arranged in a way that pulls them together. Juxtaposition is a love child, allowing you to use the elements as the composition.
In this form, we can step outside of the rules of photography for a moment. Instead of searching for elements that work together in harmony, we look for those that clash.
Seagulls by Manuel Ramos
https://100asa.com/photo/92577/seagulls?from=photographer&user=217324
What is Juxtaposition in Photography?
Juxtaposition is the act of placing two contradicting objects or subjects in the same scene. These opposites are difficult to find in the wild, but add an extra layer of depth when found and arranged right.
This compositional tool relies on the subject matter. If the contrasting elements are not obvious, the viewer could easily miss the intended meaning or story. Let’s look at some examples that work.
Prison by Vladimir Karamazov
Classic & Modern
There are many ways to comment on this type of Juxtaposition; young and aged, new and old, classic and modern. By showing both in one image, you create a story about the passage of time, a commentary on what style, fashion, and popular trends were then vs. now.
What makes this particular image interesting is that the woman on the left (modern) is older than the man on the right (classic). She will age, and feel the passing of time, where the man is immortalized. This gives the story a little more play. Also, the woman’s hair and bonnet are similar to that of the painting, bringing a similarity to the juxtaposition.
Secret in Their Eyes by Alexander Jikharev
https://100asa.com/photo/7632/secret-in-their-eyes?from=elite&st=10126
Problem & Solution
Images are powerful in the way they can remind you of an objects’ characteristics, outside of the visual idea.. We have the smell and taste of a cupcake in our mind when we see a photograph of one. A quick visual cue is all we need to start the journey. By including well thought-out subjects, you are able to draw the audience closer.
The image below shows a juxtaposition that covers texture, color, smell and sound. A rusty pair of shears stands opposite an oil can, creating a conversation.
Pac-Man by Riccardo Macchia
Calm & Chaos
Emotions work very well in images. They resonate with the audience as we already know these feelings well. Emotional scenes come with sounds that don’t emigrate, yet rather stir them up in the viewers minds.
If you can show two different emotions in the same image, it creates a tension. Like the image below, we are unsure who is the real personality and which is the juxtaposition. Does the man feel calmest when at his most angry, or is the man angry under his calm exterior?
Liberality by Сергей Борисов
https://100asa.com/photo/36470/liberality?from=elite&st=22896
Safe and Dangerous
Meaning is a very important tool in photography. It connects the viewer to the story-telling photographer. By playing with the meaning of the objects in the scene, you make an image more engaging.
This image tells a story, different for each new viewer. We can clearly see the photographer's intention; a danger protecting an area of peace. Is the barbed wire to keep something out, or rather inside? With juxtaposition as a compositional tool, you can play around with the metaphorical ideas it creates. Do you dare to stay out; do you dare to go in?
Fence by Ali Zolghadri
Large & Small
The size of the objects you photograph are very important. Showing two objects with different sizes in one scene is an easy way to delve into juxtaposition, a form of photography composition.
All sizes are relative - the girl's face looks smaller because of the larger hands around it. By showing conflicting sizes, you get to play around with the relative size of the objects, along with their meaning or intention.
Hanan Mother’s Hands by Karar Alisabih
https://100asa.com/photo/25934/hanan-mothers-hands?from=elite&st=30095
Life & Death
Juxtaposition in photography is a game of extremes. By mixing the two ends of the spectrum together, you can create meaning.
The image below is of a man sitting in an area dedicated to missing or dead people; in short, life & death. From these extremes together, we have questions and build a narrative around them. An image that tells a story draws the audience in.
NB: It is interesting to see how many juxtapositions are in this scene; low contrast vs. high contrast, pictures vs. reality, black vs. white, mask vs. no mask
Mournful by Shahabeddin Montazeri
Movement & Stillness
This is one of my all-time favorite juxtapositions as it mixes two photography specializations; still life and long exposure photography. A busy image is one that can tire out the viewer. Their eyes never rest if they keep moving around the image.
By capturing the moving boats in the image below, the photographer was able to give more attention to the buildings. By blurring their movement, he downplays the importance of the boats and adds an interesting touch to a still life image that doesn’t distract from the main focus.
Who Knows Where the Time Goes by Lior Yaakobi
https://100asa.com/photo/7257/who-knows-where-the-time-goes?from=elite&st=41670
Symmetry & Non-Symmetry
People are said to have a preference for symmetry. We find them aesthetically pleasing, calming and familiar.
I have always found symmetrical images weirdly interesting, as they seem too perfect., and cause tension. My eyes must be tricked by a mirror, or digital copy-and-flip. With the probable intention from the photographer, below is a symmetrical scene, with an unsymmetrical situation, causing anxiety for the perfectionist viewers.
Am Hart by Łukasz Derangowski
Lines & Curves
Juxtaposition photography can be as simple as capturing contrasting forms such as straight lines and curves. These two are similar yet completely different. One makes you think of rigidity, sturdiness and man-made strength; the other of adaptation, easy-going and nature.
By combining the two, you create very powerful scenes that look like they don’t work together, but instead, do the opposite The curves make the lines straighter, which in turn strengthens the curves.
Relaxing ballerina by J. Lyp
https://100asa.com/photo/34809/relaxing-ballerina?from=elite&st=43474
Monochrome & Color
There was a photography trend a few years back, and thankfully, it stayed back there. Photographers found themselves gray-scaling their image, yet leaving behind one, usually red, colored element. It was somewhere between Olan Mills’ backgrounds and ‘overcooked’ DR rendering.
A splash of color in a gray image can wake up the viewer, but keep it realistic and simple. Markus reminds us that a splash of color is powerful within large, gray cities.
Red No. 2 by Markus Auerbach
https://100asa.com/photo/40531/red-no-2?from=elite&st=74455 Markus Auerbach
Tall & Short
There are many reasons why you’d want to keep people out of your shot; they never really do what you want, wear the right thing, or even move at the right speed. One good reason for including at least one person in your scene gives a size reference to the other elements you are shooting.
There are two contrasting elements in the below scene; little & large, big & small, tall & short. Without the man, we have no reference of the size of the large object. The short reinforces the tall, and vice versa.
The Lift by Carlo Ferrara
Light & Dark
Contrast is a fundamental area, not only for black and white, but all fields and disciplines of photography. Light and dark, black and white, highlights and shadows are at play when you capture any scene.
The more contrast present in the scene, the larger the difference is between the areas of light and dark. Silhouettes are a very good way to show strong shapes and forms, and also for playing around with the perspective of size.
In Frame by Elena Raceala