Photo Composition made Easy – Five Tips for Photos
Composition is another photo technique you need to master to get good photographic results. How often do you stop and think about what you are seeing through the viewfinder of your camera?
Composition is subjective and depends on the subject of your photograph. There are rules for good image composition and, once you know the rules you can break them to get good photos more often.
What Format to use for your Photographic Composition
So many people seem to forget you can turn your camera on its side to get a vertical shot of your subject. Most people just use the horizontal format and end up with a whole lot of empty space around their subject. Just turning your camera on its side will eliminate this problem.
Sometimes it is obvious your photo would be better in a vertical format – anything that is taller than it is wide. But it does depend on the subject of the picture. For example, you may want a get a tall building as part of a cityscape. In this case you would use a horizontal format to get all the details in.
But if you want to isolate it then you would use a vertical format. Remember, these rules are only guidelines. And guidelines are flexible if it means you will get a better picture composition for your photo.
Rule of Thirds for Picture Composition
The rule of thirds says to divide your frame horizontally and vertically into thirds. After you do this, you line up your subject at the point of one of the four intersections. I tend to put my subject just off centre without being too tied to the rule of thirds. Just remember, put your subject off centre for good picture composition. If your subject is always in the centre of the photo it can make for very boring for your viewers.
Keep it Simple
The best photos are the ones that have uncluttered backgrounds. Eliminate people’s legs, or the junk scattered around your background – or the trees in the background that may turn your subject into an alien with antennas. For good photo composition it is recommended that you eliminate anything from your photo that distracts from your main subject.
Fill the Camera’s Frame
When you’re setting up your photo composition, fill your camera’s frame with as much of the subject as you can. You can do this by changing your position, angle or perspective. This gives you a more intimate view of your subject.
Do not cut parts of your Subject Off
Try to get your entire subject into your photo. While this is a good rule to follow, it is often successfully broken. It may not be a good idea to cut off your subject’s arms it can look quite disjointed. If you cannot get the entire subject into you photo, watch the edges of the frame to make sure your photo composition will produce a good photograph.
Remember, you need to know the rules before you break them. Practice these tips so you get better photos most of the time. Happy snapping.
