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“Just as a composer has to arrange a piece of music, deciding which instruments will work together, which sounds flow and which clash, so it is that a photographer has to construct powerful images from the visual overload hitting them from all directions. To picture a scene through a photographer’s eyes is very different to just looking at it for what it is.”

-Marcus Hawkins
Editor, Digital Camera Magazine

There are no fast and hard rules in composing a photograph. But for beginners, we need to familiarize ourselves first with the compositional “laws” laid down by the masters of this craft. So let’s first master these techniques by heart so we may have the confidence to break one or two of them in the future.

Photographic Composition Technique No. 1 – Lines and Shapes

Train your eye to search for lines and shapes within a scene because they are the building blocks of your photograph. For example, horizontal lines are restful – think of a sleeping person or the horizon. Vertical lines, on other hand, such as skyscrapers or trees offer more dynamism, especially when the shot is taken in portrait (upright) format to emphasize their height. But the most powerful of all is the diagonal line because it cuts across your view and leads you into the picture. You can use diagonal lines to create a sense of depth and movement. This brings the flat plane of a photograph to life.

Photo by SantiMB on Flickr Creative Commons

However, you should avoid dividing the frame directly in two by running a diagonal line from one corner to the other. It is more interesting to have a diagonal line start from near the edge of one side and continue through the frame to the other side of the opposite corner. You’ll have a more balanced image that works within the confines of the frame.

Also, the most interesting shape—the triangle— uses diagonal lines. Four-sided shapes such as rectangles and squares mirror the four sides of the picture frame. So there is no conflict there making the viewing experience not as absorbing. However, rectangles and squares can be used alongside diagonals and triangles to produce a more exciting image.

Remember also that combining circles or curved lines with straight lines produces great tension.

Photographic Composition Technique No. 2 – The rule of thirds

It is not always necessary to put your subject in the center of the frame. In fact, you can create more interesting, powerful and balanced compositions by putting your subject off-center in your photo. This technique instantly makes the viewer’s eye to move around the image. Placing the main subject of your photos in the middle makes the viewer’s eye to focus in the middle of the image and leave it there., making your picture feel flat as a result. Even when creating an abstract or graphic representation of reality, it is advised to shift the focal point a little bit.

Photos by Hamed Saber on Flickr Creative Commons

One of the most common compositional technique of directing a viewer’s eye to the center of interest in a picture is by applying the rule of thirds. It is a technique popularized by painters centuries ago. The idea is to imagine that your frame is divided into nine equal sections by two horizontal lines and two vertical lines and place your subject near a point where the lines cross. This technique makes smaller subjects dominant in a much larger scene such as a landscape shot or other wide-angle scene.

Rule of thirds can also be applied to any subject such as close-ups of faces, flowers or other macro images, by moving a key feature to a point of power (where a point intersect). You can combine this technique with the first item to increase the strength of your main subject. Patterns, lighting and lines actually help take your viewers to the point of power where you’ve placed your key feature. Diagonal lines also help, especially in scenarios where short lines on one side of the subject are combined with long ones on the other side. Lines that lead your eye to a central subject can help to prevent it from feeling static as well.

Photographic Composition Technique No. 3 – Focal point

You need to clearly define your photograph’s center of interest before pressing the shutter release. Be aware of backgrounds that that fight with the subject for attention. It could be some distracting bright patches, colors or shapes, or sometimes a poor choice of aperture. It is best to crop out these distracting elements at the time of the shoot rather than relying on altering your image during post production.

Photo by Mdzemery on Flickr Creative Commons

Photographic Composition Technique No. 4 – Keep it simple

Don’t give in to the temptation of putting too many ingredients in your composition. Instead, identify the most important element that drew you to the scene and made you point your camera in the first place. And then arrange all the other elements so that they compliment your most important element. Remember that that your focal point should not necessarily be the biggest thing in the foreground. A smaller center of interest, when positioned at a point of power  (remember item no. 2?), isolated by a slow shutter speed to blur movement around it, or a shallow depth of field to blur the other elements, or contrasting colors or textures, can really dominate a scene.

Photo by Jam 343 on Flickr Creative Commons

Photographic Composition Technique No. 5 – Fill The Frame

In Photography, there is a saying that if you can’t make something good, make it big. There is no mistaking your center of interest by filling the frame with your subject. However, make sure that you still follow good compositional techniques, such as placing a key feature of your subject on a point of power (rule of thirds). Big, bold and confident framing proves to be a great starting point to get you fired if you are having a hard time looking for an angle to shoot in a scene.

Photo by Law Kevin on Flickr Creative Commons

Photographic Composition Technique No. 6 – Change Perspective. Move around

In photography, how we capture the world depends largely on our choice of lens’ focal length. Telephoto lenses (100mm and above) tend to compress a perspective while wideangle lenses (anything from around 28mm and below) exaggerate it. Each has its own benefits and restrictions when it comes to composition.

Photo by Shoothead on Flickr Creative Commons

In addition to perspective is the angle of the shot. Don’t be tempted to stay on just one spot, thinking that the first angle you choose is the best angle. Instead try as many angles as you can. You need not move meters or miles – even shifting your camera a couple of inches can have a considerable effect. Consider also the height you’re shooting from. We are so used to viewing the world from head height. We don’t realize that we can create a greater sense of interest by lowering or raising our viewpoint significantly or by getting down on our knees, lying on the ground or by raising our tripods to their full height. Shots of children and animals benefit greatly if you get down to their eye level. (Parents, please take note of this advise when shooting photos of your kids).

Photographic Composition Technique No. 7 – Consider the colors

When framing your picture, always assess the colors in your frame. Determine whether the color of your main subject clashes or compliments the background color. Remember that warm colors – oranges, reds, yellows – tend to leap out at the viewer, while cool ones – blues, greens – recede. To strengthen the impact of your composition, you may place an area of bright color on one of the rule of thirds’ points of power.

Photo by Dawn Perry on Flickr Creative Commons

Photographic Composition Technique No. 8 – Create Depth

To make a flat photograph spring into life, you need to create a convincing sense of depth. In order to lead the viewer’s eye into the picture, you have to manipulate the foreground, middleground and background elements of a scene. A simple line leading through these areas of a picture to your center of interest can be effective – picture a river snaking from the entire foreground to a tiny point on the horizon. Be aware that the choice of lens and aperture are important components to creating depth in photographs.

Photo by Extra Medium on Flickr Creative Commons

Photographic Composition Technique No. 9 – Find a frame
One of the easiest ways to give your pictures depth is by finding a natural frame. Some photographers call this “peering through an opening.” By positioning your subject in the middleground of the image and finding a sharply rendered or blurred frame to occupy all or part of the foreground, you’ll be able to create a feeling of depth which draw viewers into your scene. Examples of frames that you can shoot through are windows, doorways, a peephole, an opening of a cave.

Photo by Roby Saltori on Flickr Creative Commons

Photographic Composition Technique No. 10 – Active space

If you are trying to shoot a moving subject, you should leave space in the frame for your subject to ‘move into’. Photograhers call this ‘active space’, as it is where your subject is actively moving into. The space behind a moving subject, on the other hand, is generally considered dead space. Many images tend to lose their dynamism if there is proportionally more of dead space. The idea of ‘active space’ can also be applied to stationary subjects and the direction in which they’re looking. If your subject is on the left of the frame looking right, give him or her more space to look into on the right of the frame, and vice versa. However, if you want to create a sense of mystery or place emphasis on your subject’s environment, experiment with putting them closer to the edge of the frame they’re looking towards.

Photos by Hamed Saber on Flickr Creative Commons

In conclusion, I could not emphasize enough the importance of background, background and background when framing your shots. Pay as much attention to the background as you do your subject. A complimentary background can enhance a mundane subject – a poor choice of background will make a great subject fall flat. Study the masters. Take time to look at the works of the best photographers.  But, try to be original as much as possible and avoid clichés. Do not be satisfied with simply imitating other photos you have seen. Play around with different lenses, treatments and viewpoints. Shoot plenty of frames . Take advantage of the fact that you can shoot as many as possible without worrying about how it would cost you to get them printed! Always bring your camera with you and use it. Practice makes perfect. Most of all, try to raise your aspirations. This can lead to disappointment in the short term –but this will definitely raise your skill level in the long term.

Sources/references: Digital Camera Magazine, UK
imag Photography, Philippines