Composition is one of the easiest (and cheapest) ways of vastly improving your photos. All it requires is a bit of thought BEFORE you press the shutter button, you don’t need expensive equipment just a bit of insight, planning and a great eye for detail. Here are some tips to get you on your way to framing some great photos.
Want Thirds?
The Rule of Thirds (ROT) is a great ‘rule’ (note the inverted commas around ‘rule’, you will see why later) to follow for great composition. The ROT involves drawing imaginary lines (please don’t draw on your camera) that divide the frame up into thirds (both vertically and horizontally) and then paying close attention to where these lines lie and intersect. Focal points should be placed where these lines intersect and horizons should lie on one of the lines, not in the middle of the frame. Here are a few examples:
Line ‘Em Up
Look for lines, patterns and repetition. Position these elements to draw the viewer’s eye to a particular focal point in the shot. Notice how in the shot below, the lights (and the light on the path) take the eye from the outside of the frame all the way to the end of the path into the distance. The repetition of lines and symmetry of shapes is what makes this second photo that little more interesting.
Frame It
Framing your photos using elements within the shot is also a great composition technique. Usually by using something located in the foreground of the shot you can create some really interesting compositions. Trees can be your best friend when using this technique. Use your tripod whenever you can, you will always spend more time framing your shot when you use a tripod. After all, no one wants to carry around a cumbersome piece of equipment and spend time setting it up for a dodgy snapshot.
Crop in Tight
Don’t forget the art of cropping. If you don’t manage to get the perfect composition in camera you can always do a bit of re-aligning later in your image editing software. Take a look at this example, cropping in tight can make for a far more interesting photo. Convert to black and white for an extra focus on contrast, lines and composition.
Don’t forget the art of cropping. If you don’t manage to get the perfect composition in camera you can always do a bit of re-aligning later in your image editing software. Take a look at this example, cropping in tight can make for a far more interesting photo. Convert to black and white for an extra focus on contrast, lines and composition.
‘Rules’ Were Made to be Broken
To be able to break rules you first need to actually know them. So now that you know the rules of simple composition don’t hesitate in breaking them for some really creative shots. But don’t forget, breaking the rules still requires a lot of thought and planning (so you can get away with it) so don’t think that rushing your set-up and accidentally breaking the rules means your composition is great.
Hopefully this helped to give you a bit of direction when it comes framing a great shot. That little bit of technique and forethought when it comes to composition is very noticeable when it comes sorting out the great photos from the not so great
Why dont you put the horizons in the middle of the picture? i have done this for a lot of my photos and they still look okay i think.
ReplyDeleteJen,
ReplyDeleteThe rule of thirds is generally used as a guide. The main reason for this is that when subjects are placed on the intersecting lines or on the lines themselves it often makes for a much more interesting and naturally balanced shot. Bisecting (dividing in two) the image often causes it to look a little plain and unbalanced although that doesn't necessarily mean photos with horizons or subjects not following the rule of thirds will always seem that way. As I mentioned it is purely a guide which comes naturally to some and that others have to work at.
Alex