One of the first things I learned in my college art classes was that you need to understand the rules before you can break them.
The prospect of breaking some rules was extremely exciting for me because I tend to be a rule-breaker by nature. So, naturally, this phrase drew me in and made it easier for me to learn the rules since I knew that if I mastered those first, I’d be allowed to break them later 🙂
Speaking of rules, today we’re covering the topic of composition and how following some simple rules can help you create more interesting photographs.
Composition is one of the fundamental pillars of photography. It involves choosing how the subjects and objects are going to be framed within the overall image.
In this blog post, I have outlined the most common rules of composition. Take some time to learn them, experiment, combine them, and then, don’t forget to let your creativity loose to create something new and original.
1. The Rule of Thirds: Divide your image into thirds horizontally and vertically, so you have a grid. Your focal points should be on the intersecting lines.
2. The Rule of Odds: An odd number of subjects in your image is more interesting than an even number of subjects. Look to create images with an odd number of objects or subjects.
3. People like triangles: Triangular compositions are usually more pleasing to the human eye. When posing your subjects, go for poses that create triangles. Also, look to incorporate and capture diagonal lines in your scene.
4. Space: Leave negative (free space) around your subject.
5. Simplify: If your overall image looks too cluttered, it’s best to minimize and eliminate some distractions. Get close to your subject, blur or darken your background.
6. Use leading lines: Use lines that lead to your subject. Some examples include rails, sidewalks, walls, streets, buildings, shadows, etc.
7. Depth of Field: Blur your background to create separation from your subject and the background.
8. Patterns: Look for constructed or natural patterns.
9. Color: Use complimentary (opposing), analogous (similar) in your image. Experiment with hue, saturation, and brightness of colors.
10. Framing: Use objects to frame your subject. Some examples of this include using trees, buildings, flowers, windows, people, hands, or arms to frame the subject.
11. Repetition: Look for repeating objects in your scene.
12. Balancing Elements: Balance foreground subject with background interest
13. Symmetry: Create a mirror image of your subject on each side.
14. Depth: Place your subject in front of and behind objects to create layers in your photo.
15. Fill the frame: Get in super close and fill the frame with your subject.
16. Viewpoint: Photograph from different angles; from above, below, etc.
17. Left to right: Moving subjects should go from left to right.
As you’ve learned here, there are many ways to create interesting and professional-looking images just by following some simple composition rules.
If you want to experiment with these rules (or practice breaking them), join our next photography workshop on April 29th, where we’ll be photographing couples. This is a wonderful opportunity to get some amazing images for your portfolio guided by photography experts, all while learning alongside a community of growing photographers.
