Photography Composition Tips
1)
Use the “Rule Of Thirds” for balanced photos
While framing a shot, visually break it down into a grid of nine equal rectangles and place your subject on one of the four intersections for a natural look.
The rule of thirds in photography is not a hard and fast rule, but a good guideline to follow instead of just placing your subject dead center by default.
2)
Change up your perspective for better results
Most of us see everything from about five and a half feet from the ground, and if your photography is only done at eye level, things can look boring. Experiment with different angles to discover new perspectives.
Get on a chair or crouch down—anything to get above or below your subject to find an interesting perspective. If you practice this often, you’ll be more prepared to see the world and subjects in a new way and capture more interesting images.
3)
Practice selective framing
for more impact
Determine what your subject is and be selective about what else is in the frame.
Whether you’re trying to capture a picture of a friend, a sunset, an action scene, an event, or a specific mood, place your emphasis on that and consider how you can add or remove what’s in the frame to best tell the story.
4)
Rotate your camera
for vertical shots
It’s more natural to keep your camera in landscape orientation (when the image is wider than it is tall), so it can be easy to forget shooting in a portrait, or vertical position.
Try to mix things up by actively remembering to rotate your camera vertically for a different look. This keeps you in the mindset to be open to other possibilities. This can often result in improved photographs too!
5)Make use of leading lines
A photograph with weak composition will leave viewers confused about what they should be focusing on. Making use of leading lines in photography can help control where a viewer’s eyes move, especially with strong, obvious lines.
Lines that converge create depth and draw the viewer in while curved lines can take you around the frame and eventually land on the main subject.
6)
Pay attention to depth of field
To add another dimension to your composition, be aware of depth of field. Depth of field in photography is the relation of how sharp the plane of focus is compared to everything away from that plane.
Depth of field is largely determined by the aperture size you set and your distance to the subject. Wider apertures emphasize depth of field, and so does getting closer to your subject.
7)
Learn composition from the masters
Visit an art gallery, hop online, or find some art books and study composition from masters of the art world. Don’t forget masters of photography as well.
These artists typically work within a frame and through many years of expertise make decisions about composition. Study what they’ve done and try to pick up some pointers from what you like (or don’t like).
8)
Give your subject some space
When composing, consider the direction your subject is moving in or facing and give it extra space over there. If you frame it so there’s nowhere left for your subject to move except out of the frame, it can create an unnatural feeling for the viewer.
9)
Fill the frame
When you leave too much empty space or zoom out too much, it makes your subject a lot smaller relative to the entire picture. This deemphasizes the importance of your subject and can make it difficult for viewers to determine what your subject actually is.
Remedy this by moving in closer or zooming in.
10)Isolate the details
Occasionally you’ll encounter scenes that are just too big to fit inside the frame, no matter how far back you move, or what camera lens you’re using. Don’t settle for just taking a cropped version of a photo you want.
Look for unique details or features you can focus in on and push everything else out of the frame. This can uncover hidden gems in situations when you don’t have a great scene to begin with too.
11)
Try the exact opposite of all these composition rules
For each of these rules, there’s going to be photographs out there that disregard them and still turn out beautiful.
Perhaps you want to create tension by putting your subject up against the edges. Maybe you want to shoot a whole series dead center and ignore the rule of thirds. Use the rules as a guide, but be sure to break them and experiment to discover something new.
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