Ok, so this post is one that will apply to everyone who uses a camera. That includes DSLR, point and shoot, camera phone, whatever. By following a few basic "rules" of composition, you can drastically improve the way your photos look.
1. "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" - Leonardo Da Vinci
2. The Rule of Thirds
3. Level Horizons
4. Natural Framing
5. Lead-In Lines
6. Is that pole growing out of your head?
7. Diagonals, Curves, and Triangles
8. Fill the Frame
9. Look into, not out of the photo.
10. Odd Numbers
11. Break the Rules
1. Simplicity
- keep it simple, stupid (KISS)
- avoid distracting backgrounds
- we've learned that a large aperture opening (small F number) can help blur a background, therefore eliminating distractions!
- get rid of unnecessary elements in your photos (anything that distracts you from the main subject)
If you look at the very beginning of the post, you'll see my example for simplicity. There's no unnecessary distractions. It's very serene and simple. It's not cluttered with objects or subjects that prevent your eye from finding the main subject.
2. The Rule of Thirds
- perhaps the most important rule in photography
- divide your photo into 1/3 sections
- attempt to place your key subject(s) on a third line, or better yet on an intersection of the third lines
- the rule of thirds gives a photo alot more compositional strength and makes it more dynamic
- with portraits, the eyes should be on a third line
- with landscapes, the horizon should be on the third line
- with sunsets, the sun should be on a third line
As you can see, both the bird is on a third line intersection and the water edge is on a horizontal third line.
With the bird centered, the photo loses a lot of interest.
The bird on the third line makes for a greater dynamic photograph.
3. Level Horizons
- this simple compositional rule is one of the most often overlooked
- a slight slant of the horizon or major line of interest can take away so much from a photo
- if you're going for an off level, or diagonal look, go extreme.
- a slight slant shows you missed it in post processing, or can show laziness
- a big diagonal makes a statement and shows that you intended to do it
- it's not always easy to get a perfectly horizontal horizon in camera, however it is a very easy fix in post processing if you have photoshop, photoshop elements, lightroom, or any other basic post processing program
The below photo has a slightly slanted horizon
Even only a slight slant makes a difference
In the following photo, the slant was fixed and the horizon was leveled
4. Natural Framing
- when you have a natural frame, use it to your disposal
- natural framing brings your eye into the main subject
- examples of natural frames may be a window or door frame, the edge of trees, strong lines surrounding the subject
- basically anything that will surround your subject and draw your eye to it
The following photo gives an example of using many natural objects to frame the subject
The edge of the trees, the rock slope, and the fence frames the old broken down shack (main subject)
5. Lead-In Lines
- look for strong or dark lines that lead your eyes into, not out of the photo.
- look for vanishing points
- examples could be: a curvy stream that leads the eye off into the distance, a straight road that disappears into the center of the photo at a vanishing point, a sea shore that curves away into the distance
- if a strong line in your photo immediately shoots out of the edge of the photo, your eye follows it and distracts from your key subject
The below photo is an extreme example of using lead-in lines that meet at the vanishing point
This photo has a curving lead line that leads your eye from the foreground around the edge of the photo to the background area
6. Is that pole growing out of your head?
- it is always strange to see an object in the background that appears to be growing out of someone or something like a mutant appendage.
- an example may be a person with a telephone pole behind him or her that's lined up in such away that it looks like it's shooting right out of his or her head.
In this example the birds lined up in such a way that it looks like this guy (or girl...I'm not sure) has 4 wings.
7. Diagonals, Curves, and Triangles
- it has been said that diagonal lines make for stronger photos, compositionally.
- curves add a dynamic element to photo composition as well
- i can't recall the source of where I first learned this, but triangles are also very strong compositional tools
This photo has a nice mix of curves and diagonals
The following portrait contains a large number of triangles
8. Fill the Frame
- pretty simple...why have unnecessary empty space in a photo if it doesn't add anything to the photo.
Alot of wasted space with boring sky
The frame is filled with little wasted space. Greater detail can be seen in the aircraft.
9. Look into, not out of the photo.
- if your subject is on the left side of the photo, they generally should be looking to the right side of the photo and visa versa.
- if the subject is on the left and is looking to the left edge, your eyes tend to follow where there eyes are going. Your eyes then shoot right off the edge of the photo.
Looking out of the photo (try to stay away from this)
Looking into the photo (typically preferable)
10. Odd Numbers
- even number (2 or 4) are weaker compositionally
- odd numbers (1, 3, 5 etc) add to strong compostion
- for example, 3 candles in a photo would make a stronger composition than 2 or 4.
- this is partially why triangles make strong compositions
11. BREAK THE RULES
- rules are made to be broken
- there's a huge difference in breaking the rules intentionally and not understanding good compostion
- an example of when to break the rules is reflections in water. Instead of putting the main line on a third, symmetry will work better thus allowing for the line to be smack dab down the center
- extreme diagonals can be a good way to break the rules
- shooting down on children or up on adults you exaggerates their height (makes kids look smaller and inferior, and shooting up on adults makes them look far to large). However, this can sometimes be a fun one to break depending on the intended mood of the photo.
Here's an example of the main line down the center and a landscape being turned diagonally.
You are all now on your way to better photos due to your now never ending knowledge of photo composition (well maybe not never ending)
I hope you've enjoyed composition "From the Ground Up!"
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