There are no set rules applied in Photography, however there are still some simple composition rules which one must follow to capture the best photographs as this will help enhance the impact of your photo.
1. Rule of Thirds
If you imagine placing 3 vertical and 3 horizontal lines on your photograph, the rule of thirds suggests that your main focus in a photograph should lie on one of these lines or near towards the points where the lines intersect.
Using this technique will increase the balance of your photograph. Some more advanced cameras now come with a feature to create a Rule of Thirds Grid on the LCD screen before taking a photograph, making it easier to use.
2. Balancing Elements
By shifting the main focus of the photograph off-centre, as with the Rule of Thirds, this creates more impact on your photographs as the "weights" in the photo are balanced.
3. Leading Lines
Whenever we look at a photo, our eyes will naturally be "drawn in" towards any lines appearing in the photo. It is important to think about how you position your lines in your composition as this can affect the way your audience views the image, pulling them into the subject, towards the subject or on a "journey" through the scene. There are many different lines which can be used such as zig-zag, diagonal, straight, curvy etc - to enhance your photos even more.
4. Symmetry and Patterns
In our world, we are all surrounded by symmetry and patterns. Symmetrical and aligned compositions can have a very eye-catching effect for the viewer
as they can be drawn in to the photograph whilst their eye is being "framed" into the picture because of the symmetrical patterns which appear. This will add tension as well as a focal point to the scene.
5. Viewpoint
When taking a photograph, it is always important to know where you should be taking the photo from. Varying your viewpoint can have a massive impact on your photographs as this can help the viewers see the details they would want to see from different angles. Rather then just shooting from eye level for example, try varying your shot angles from high above, to ground level etc. See my post on Camera Angles to see some examples.
6. Background
The background can have a massive influence on your composition, especially when your main focus is being affected by your chosen background. The human eye can easily distinguish between the layers of a photograph and can result in the eye being drawn away from the main focus if there is a flashy background. To solve the problem, simply choose a less obtrusive background to fit with your main focus to keep the viewers interested.
7. Depth
As photography is a 2-Dimensional medium, we have to incorporate different aspects to taking a photo, one of them is to have depth. By having depth in your compositions, this will show greater detail in your photographs but also give a realistic view to the viewer of what was present in the actual scene. You can create depth by adding objects in the foreground, middle- ground and background
8. Framing
The world is full of natural frames such as trees, walkways, archways etc. Placing edges in your composition will help to isolate the main subject from the outside world and can give a visual feel of the main subject as your eyes will naturally draw to the detail in the photograph that is there.
9. Cropping
Often you will find that your subject is lacking a bit of impact because it is lost in its dense surroundings. By cropping your composition you eliminate the surroundings and have your subject as the focus
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10. Experimentation
As we now advancing more with modern technology, Digital Cameras are becoming more complex in their uses which have now many benefits to us. In particular, the rate at which photographs can be taken has significantly improved. It used to be very costly to produce one single photograph, making it harder for the photographer to take a good picture, however with digital cameras today, it is possible to take multiple photos at once and delete the unwanted ones later. So use this to your advantage and experiment with your compositions.
Composition in photography can have different effects. Not always will these rules applied here work for every composition, however it is still worth-while to take a few snaps anyway to begin to vary your photography compositions later on - so give it a go!
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