We’ve put together a list of 6 great tips to help your digital photography composition.
The Rule of Thirds
If you haven’t heard of the rule of thirds then you should have. To create more interesting compositions imagine your frame with imaginary lines drawn bot vertically and horizontally 1/3 and 2/3 of the way across. When composition your photo try to have points of interest at the points where these lines cross.
Give it a go by taking a simple portrait/head shot. In the first shot place your subjects eyes dead center of the frame. In shot two place them at one of the intersection points. You should see that the second shot is much more pleasing to the eye.
The Rule of Thirds
In the shot above you can see that the point where the rainbow and the flock of birds meet is at on of these intersection points. The result is the composition is much more pleasing to the eye than if that point had been dead center.
Leading Lines
This is a common trick used by landscape photographers to create much more interesting photos. Try to include features in your composition that lead your subjects eye from the front to the back of the frame. Anything will do for example railway lines, streams of car headlights, a winding river, fence or staircase so long as it draws the viewers eye through the composition.
In the example below the ledge on the right, along with the natural lines of the tunnel help to draw you into the scene towards the three figures in the light.
Leading Lines Draw The Eye In
Fill the Frame
A common mistake made by amateurs is always putting the subject dead center of the frame and leaving blank empty space around it. You can create much more impact by zooming in and filling the whole frame with the subject. Don’t worry about missing some of it so long as the main part of the subject is in view.
Pay Attention to the Background
It is so easy to forget about the background of your shots while you concentrate on the main subject. All to often you can get home only to discover truly terrible backdrops in your shots. Make sure you think about the background of your shots before worrying about the focus of exposure settings in your camera.
If you are unable to control the background (either by moving it or your subject then you always have the option of using a large aperture to help you blur out any distracting or unwanted backgrounds.
Marry Complimentary Colors
One simple way to increase the appeal of your photos is to compose your shots with complimentary color tones in the frame. In the photo below I was taking a picture of this girls cool t-shirt when i noticed the complimentary colors on the side of a parked bus only a few feet away.
Complimentary Colors
To improve the composition i simply asked her to shuffle along the sidewalk a few feet to improve the composition from a plain, boring background to a bright vibrant one!
Less is More
By stripping away distracting elements to a shot you can place more emphasis on the subject or feeling you are trying to convey. The obvious time when this is useful is when you are photographing architecture.
Less is More
In the shot above I was in awe of the scale of the rooftop of the new opera house in Oslo Norway. I wanted to try and capture the scale and simplicity of the architecture in a shot. We had to wait for a good 30 minutes for the crowds to die down so I could get a shot without any other tourists wandering across the frame.
Enjoy this article? If so please subscribe to Digital SLR Guru to receive free updates!
Loading ...