Basic Photographic Composition

I can recall over 30 years ago when I took my first photo class. My instructor handed me a small, thin book published by the Kodak company. That book was my one source, as thin as it was in pages, for learning photography. It had everything (at least I though so at the time) there was to know about photography; from composition to setting up a dark room, to developing black and white photos. I cherished that little book and still have it today. Needless to say, that book was responsible for helping me "see" photographs in a new way; by their composition.

There are basic composition rules in photography that, if followed, can be broken to create even more stunning images. But as the cliché goes, you have to know the rules in order to break the rules. Don't look at the following photographic composition rules individually as an absolute for each photo you take. Yet, combine them as you would ingredients in a cake in order to create well composed, stunning photographs.

The basic composition rules are:

Simplicity
Rule of Thirds
Lines
Balance
Framing
Avoid Mergers

Simplicity:

Give your subject the most visual attention by simplifying the photograph. By getting in close to your subject, you eliminate any unwanted clutter in your image and bring attention to the subject. By simplifying the photo, your visual communication is strong and focused. You eliminate any potential distraction that can take away from your visual message.

Take a look at the photo of the young girl to the right. By moving in close, I was able to eliminate the distracting newspaper, car, and trash that was in the background. By doing so, I was able to create an intense and powerful image of a young girl expressing happiness. The overall image has both a positive and professional feel.

Rule of Thirds:

Rule of Thirds Diagram The Rule of Thirds is perhaps the one particular rule that has stuck out in my mind ever since I learned it in photography class some 30 years ago. And it's perhaps one of the most important photographic composition rules to follow. This rule applies mainly to photographs with either verticle lines (such as a buildings edge) or horizontal lines (like that of the horizon). Imagine your photograph divided in thirds (see diagram to the right). By placing your image one of the thirds, you are creating a dynamic image.

Now imagine your image with each corner representing a placement point for your subject. Place your subject in any one of these points to create a dynamic image. For example, the image of the daisy sunflower is placed in the bottom left corner of the image. It allows for space to the top and left side of the flower to bring focus to the photo as well as create copy space for a graphic designer.

Lines:

Lines in your photography can give your photos life. They make your photograph more dynamic and can bring focus to your subject or lead the viewer into the photo. Four types of lines in your photographic composition are diagonal, repetitive, leading, and the s-curve.

Redwood Trees in Big Sur Diagonal lines are dynamic. They create drama in your photograph. Typical diagonal lines could be cabling that rises from the ground upward, or the suns rays, piercing through redwood trees as seen in the photograph I captured in Big Sur, California.

Repetitive lines can be used to draw the viewer into your photo, like the image of the Princess Bride and the Toad. The use of the steps help the viewer focus on the main subject. Aside from steps, you can use about any pattern of lines to help bring attention to your subject.

Leading Lines are exactly what the name implies, the lead you into the photograph. It could be a fence that leads you into your subject standing at the other end, or a wine vineyard that leads you to the horizon, like the photograph below.

S-Curve lines are quite graceful to look at. They form some of the best patterns in dynamic photographs. The image above of the Redwoods not only incorporates diagonal lines, but the meandering river serves as an S-curve line in the image. Another example of the S-curve line would be a fence that curves in the shape of an "S" or a road, like the one to the right. Albeit, this is a partial S-curve, it still qualifies as one and leads the viewer to the bend between the two hills.

Balance:

Good balance is simply the arrangement of shapes, colors, or areas of light and dark that complement one another so that the photograph looks well-balanced, not lopsided. Lets take a look at this first example: The photo of the couple riding their mountain bikes along the path is a good example of balance. There is good balance in color between the field and sky as well as the couple to the left with the clouds to the right.

Another example of a photo with good balance is this stock photo of a semi-truck driving along a highway. The truck is to the left and the highway sign is to the right. Imagine if both the truck and the sign where on a scale, they would balance the photo just right.

Framing:

Framing helps create depth in a photograph. Using objects in the foreground such as trees, or overheads of buildings to frame your subject and give it that feeling of depth it needs to make it more than just a snapshot.

Avoiding Mergers:

Mergers in photography refers to any intersecting element that distracts from the photograph. It could be a telephone pole that mergers from behind your subject, or an element that intersects your subject as seen in this stock photo of a young teen eating a hot dog. I probably could have sold more of this image if the red umbrella did not intersect his head. The merging umbrella distracts form the photo. To avoid this, you want to photograph your subjects agains a plain, solid background such as a solid colored wall, the sky, or a backdrop. Even a nice solid group of brush would work.

Photography is fun. I've presented some basic photographic compositions that can get you started taking good photos. If photography is something you want to pursue as either a hobby or professionally, then I recommend that you check with your local book store for more in depth books on photography composition.