Do you have a desire to move on from taking snapshots?   Just got a camera, or had one a while but don’t think you’re using it as wisely as you could?  Let’s have a little look at composition then.  There’s a few things to think about, or look for, when you’re taking a photograph which should help elevate your snapshots to an all new level.

Rule of Thirds

We’ll begin with the daddy of compositional rules:  the rule of thirds.

Rule of Thirds: Imagine your photograph being split into 9 equal rectangles by two parallel horizontal lines, and two parallel vertical lines.  Now, try to keep your major compositional elements either aligned to these lines, or – better still – positioned slap-bang at one of the intersection points.

In the example to the right you can see how the main compositional elements are confined to their own thirds – the sky takes up the top third, trees the middle third and the ground the bottom third – with the subject positioned on one of the two verticals.  The fact that the trees in each vertical third seem to be different colours, heightens the overall composition.

You may even find that your viewfinder actually displays these lines for you – if not, after thinking about it for a while you’ll soon be naturally looking for the thirds in your shot.

As a guide if you have the horizon in shot, you should usually be looking to position it along one of the two horizontal lines (as in the example).  Which one you chose depends on whether you want to show more of what’s above the horizon or more of what’s below it.

Leading Lines: Try to use compositional elements to lead the eye of the viewer to the main subject of your shot.  For example, in the shot below I have positioned the camera so that it is shooting along the line of rock which leads to where I stand – this is providing depth and perspective to the shot, as well as providing a firm line for the eye to follow.  If I had shot it from further to the left, so that the rock was more of a horizontal than a diagonal, the composition wouldn’t have been so striking and would have been more flat.  There are also other lines (the horizon and the tree) which converge in the same place in the shot.

Leading lines do not have to be straight lines – they can lead the eye on a merry dance through the photo, so long as they are leading the eye to something and not out of the frame.  Think about where you’re taking your shot from – would it work better if you moved a bit to one side, or got higher or lower?

Leading Lines

Negative Space: Sometimes it’s what you don’t include in a photograph that really makes the composition work.  Don’t be afraid to leave big chunks of empty space.  They can help to heighten the impact of the remainder of the photo.  Negative space usually works best if you apply hand-in-hand with the Rule of Thirds.

Breaking the Rules: I’ve given you a quick introduction to three rules and concepts of composition here – there are many others that we’ll be touching on in later tutorials – but there’s one thing I need to make clear right now:  rules are there to be broken.   Don’t be a slave to them.  They’re purely there to give you some guidance should you be floundering in the dark