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Photo composition
"You don't take a photograph, you make it." Ansel Adams
Photographs that stand out from the crowd usually have three elements in common: good subject, good lighting and good composition. What follows are principles of composition that explain some of the ways photographers and artists have composed images throught the centuries.
It's possible that a photo may include a combination of more than one principle. What's important to understand is that they are guides, not hard and fast rules, so experiment when framing your shots!
Principles of composition
These principles are illustrated in our Photo Composition Galleries.
- Center of interest: a photograph should have a strong focal point. Determine what it is before composing your photo.
- Simplicity: keep your composition simple, avoiding busy background that distracts from a subject.
- Subject off center: Place a subject slightly off-center rather than in the middle of a photo (see The Rule of Thirds)
- Horizon lines: Don't place the horizon line, or any strong vertical or horizontal lines, right in the middle of a picture. Make sure the lines aren't tilted!
- Leading lines: if a scene has strong lines, make sure the lines lead the eye into the frame rather than out of it. The lines should lead to the main point of interest.
- Foreground objects: Include an interesting object in the foreground of a scene. It adds depth, dimension and point of reference.
- Vary angles: Shoot at varying angles to capture a subject at a different viewpoint. Move the camera higher or lower than you usually do. For a dramatic effect, take some photos from a birds-eye (looking down) or worms-eyes view (looking up).
- Framing: Framing a subject by zooming or moving closer draws attention to it. Using foreground objects in a scene can add depth and point of reference.
- Silhouettes: Subject made dark by photographing it against a light background (back lighting).
- Reflections: adds an interesting, sometimes abstract, look to a photo.
- Symmetry: an identical or near-identical image of its other half. Use of symmetry often provides a formal balance.
