Brugges

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Salisbury

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Sculpture by the Lakes, Pallington Lakes, Dorchester, Dorset

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The old school house

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12 Top Photography Composition Rules

12 Top Photography Composition Rules - Take better photos by following these basic photography rules.

Earlier in the week we talked about breaking photography rules to create shots with more impact, however to break the rules you need to know what they are so here's 12 top photography composition rules for you to learn, shoot with then if you want to, break. If your shot is in danger of losing impact due to a busy background/surroundings, crop in tight around your main point of focus, eliminating the background so all attention falls on your main subject. This works particularly well with portraits when you're trying to capture something more intimate and focused or are shooting in a busy location where what's around them would just cause a distraction. Filling the frame could involve you capturing them from the waist up or for more impact, fill the frame with just their face. Patterns are another subject that when capturing, you should fill the frame with, aligning it up carefully to ensure it's straight. Keep an eye on the edges of your frame to make sure the person/animal you're photographing hasn't had any of their body parts chopped off by it. Cutting off your cat's tail, your dog's ears or part of your model's head, will not only spoil your shot, the unintentional limb chopping can pull attention away from what the viewer should really be looking at. The same goes for shots where your model's arm goes out of the shot and comes back in, such as them leaning on their arm which is bent at the elbow, if you can't see the bottom of the arm and how it's connected to their body, it can look a little alien, like it belongs to someone else. The most basic of all photography rules is all about dividing your shot into nine equal sections by a set of vertical and horizontal lines. With the imaginary frame in place, you should place the most important element(s) in your shot on one of the lines or where the lines meet. It's a technique that works well for landscapes as you can position the horizon on one of the horizontal lines that sit in the lower and upper part of the photograph while you're vertical subjects (trees etc.) can be placed on one of the two vertical lines.
Frames have various uses when it comes to composition. They can isolate your subject, drawing the eye directly to it, they can hide unwanted items behind it, give an image depth and help create context. Your frame can be man-made (bridges, arches and fences), natural (tree branches, tree trunks) or even human (arms clasped around a face). Our eyes are unconsciously drawn along lines in images so by thinking about how, where and why you place lines in your images will change the way your audience view it. A road, for example, starting at one end of the shot and winding it's way to the far end will pull the eye through the scene. You can position various focal points along your line or just have one main area focus at the end of your line that the eye will settle on. Shapes can be used in a similar way, for example imagine a triangle and position three points of focus at the end of each point where the lines of the shape meet. By doing so you create balance in your shot as well as subtly guiding the eye.
Having too much going on in your frame can me the person who's looking at it will just keep searching it for a point of focus and soon get bored of looking when they can't find one. This doesn't mean you can't have secondary points of focus, it just means you should make every effort to make sure they don't steal all the limelight. Take a look at our tutorial on using Points Of Interest In Photography for more information on this.
Unsightly objects, overexposed or particularly bright areas and blocks/dots of bright colour will all pull the eye from what it's meant to be focusing on so take a good look at your background before you take your shot and if possible, find a background that's not so obtrusive. If you're working on portraits make sure there's no unwanted items sticking out of your subject's head and unless it adds to the shot, throw the background out of focus. To do this, select a wider aperture if working with a DSLR or select the Portrait Mode on a compact camera to tell it you want to work with a wider aperture. If you're working with plants and flowers try creating your own backgrounds out of card and material which can be slipped into your bag alongside your camera gear. The problem with following the rule of thirds rule is that it can leave you with a strong focus point on one side of your shot and a big empty space on the other so, to improve this, see how you can add a secondary point of interest that's less important to balance your shot. This could mean moving an object (if you can), cropping in by zooming in with your lens or with the crop tool in your editing software or by moving your feet to find a different angle. This is similar to balance except you use the same object or a reflection of it on both sides of the shot or repeated through the entirety of it. Filling your frame with a pattern that repeats gives the shot more impact, exaggerating the size/number of the objects you're photographing. Shots where there's symmetry in them such as lamp posts lining either side of a street, a long line of trees or a series of arches can also be used to guide the eye to a single point. Just remember you need a focus point at the end of your shot otherwise it won't work as well. Symmetry can also involve non-related objects that resemble each other in shape, colour or texture. To be different, break the repetitive pattern with one shape/colour that stands out from the rest. You'll probably have to play around to see how positioning the 'odd one out' changes the composition/feeling of your shot. Having fore-, middle- and background detail will add depth to your image as well as draw the eye through the picture. Compositional elements that compliment each other, for example with colour or by association, work better but do be careful with the size of objects you use and how you place them as you don't want the shot to be thrown off balance. You don't want a rock in the foreground of your landscape shot, for example, drawing the eye away from the hills and mountains in the background. Adding water to the foreground can also lighten your shot as well as adding an extra element of interest as it reflects the sky back out. For some reason, items grouped together in odds (three strawberries rather than two) give you a shot that's more interesting and easier to focus on as the middle element is automatically framed by those that surround it. Try it next time you're shooting still life work or group portraits. As colours can be harmonious together (reds and yellows or yellows and greens) or complementary (orange and blue or magenta and green) they're great compositional devices. A colour scheme that sits well together will create a sense of rest and calm while colours that complement each other can be used to create more vibrant and dynamic shot.

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8 Ways To Break Photography Rules

Break The 'Rules' Of Photography - As the saying goes, rules are meant to be broken so here are a few ways you can break a few of the photography rules creatively.

Compositional rules are there as guides but that doesn't mean you always have to use them. Sometimes breaking the rules can help you create an image that's far more striking, so here's eight ways how breaking the guidelines can help you create an image that has far more impact. With the rule of thirds, you have to ensure that your main point of focus is positioned on one or more of the four intersecting lines on the nine square grid you have to imagine is sitting over your image. However, there are some shots where placing your subject in the middle of it will give you a more striking image. For example, a road or path stretching off towards the horizon, starting so it fills the frame and winding away until it vanishes can look better when positioned in the centre. The same goes for shots with lots of symmetry. A long table that's set for dinner with rows of chairs and lines of plates, glasses and cutlery on it will make a more interesting photograph if positioned in the centre of the frame, while photographing escalators, steps, piers and tunnels so they sit in the centre of the frame can help exaggerate their length, giving the impression that they go on forever. Portraits are more pleasing to the eye when you use the rule of thirds grid but if you're shooting a portrait that has a more creepy, unusual feel to it, positioning your subject in the centre of the shot will enhance this uneasy feeling.

When you're working with the horizon or lines you should avoid splitting the image in two, so horizons should be slightly higher or lower, depending where the interest is and lines should be positioned to the left or right of the centre line. However, cutting your image in two will give you a shot that has a lot of impact, particularly if you're going for something more abstract where strong blocks of colour are your focus. Keeping your horizons level and your shots straight is a rule that's important for landscapes but there are other subjects where tilting your camera will give them more energy and a sense of excitement/fun. If you're going to do this, make sure you do it properly, really turning your camera. If you don't, it'll look like you were going for a straight shot and angled your camera by mistake. For shots that are clean and sharp, you'll generally need to use the lowest ISO possible. Of course there are many cameras now that cope quite well at higher ISO levels, and they won't leave noise in your shots. However, if you have a camera that still struggles at higher levels, use it to your advantage, shooting some grainy images. If you don't want to create the look in-camera, shoot at a lower ISO and run your image through photo editing software and apply your grain digitally. The grain works even better with black and white shots so while you have your editing software open, try converting your coloured shot into something much more moody. Portraits are good subjects for this but if you have a few landscape shots you've taken on dull days, try converting them to black and white, add a little grain and a grungy frame and you'll breath life back into a boring shot. For a more dream-like composition, try throwing your whole frame out of focus. A wide aperture will be needed and you'll probably have to focus manually to stop your lens focusing on something in the frame. You want the shot to be out of focus just enough to make it look like you did it intentionally but still leave enough detail to make the scene recognisable. Your other option is to blur what would be considered as your main point of focus and have something in front or behind them sharp. A more subtle way to use the effect is by creating a soft focus portrait. Take a look at our Photoshop Tutorial for more information on how to do this.

Photo by David Clapp - www.davidclapp.co.uk

The 'try to keep your camera as still as possible' rule only applies when you're not going for a strong, abstract shot that's full of energy. If you're photographing action, a car speeding along a track or dancers spinning in a circle, moving your camera while you take your shot will add a little blur that can increase the feeling of speed and excitement. Using a slightly slower speed than you'd usually use to capture action will further enhance their movement and you probably don't need to move your camera to do this. Again, having part of the shot a little sharper than the rest will give your viewer a focus point. Try zooming your lens barrel out or in through the exposure too to create a zoom burst. You'll probably want a tripod to hand for this as it makes it easier to turn the barrel of the lens. Zoom bursts work well on stained glass but they can give equally good results on groups of fast moving dancers who are making their way towards you.

Try removing all sharpness from the shot with a drag landscape. We've covered this on site in a previous technique which you can find here: Drag Landscapes OK, so shooting with your camera held to your eye or using your camera's screen to frame your shot isn't a rule, just more of a thing that everyone does because that's the way camera's work! But by leaving your camera by your side and 'shooting from the hip' you can get some interesting results. Sure, it can be a little hit and miss but as it doesn't look like you're taking a photograph you stand the chance of capturing much more candid results, particularly on the street. When photographing someone or something moving through your frame, the eye will naturally follow the path the subject's on and most of the time, people leave space for them to move into. However, forcing them to the other side of the frame, in the direction they're moving can create a sense of speed, giving the impression that you couldn’t keep pace with them.

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Controlling And Using Flare In Your Photographs

Check out ePHOTOzine's inspirational photo month calendar! Each day click on a window to unveil new photography tips, treats and techniques.

View August's Photo Month Calendar

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