Use Composition Rules To Take Better Photos
Photography is a creative art, no doubt, but creative doesn’t mean doing everything willy-nilly however you want. Use these basic rules of composition to give your photos an extra boost of visual appeal.
Photo by Maike Baird.
At the photography blog Amateur Snapper, they’ve put together a great list of some of the basic rules governing photographic composition. Whether you’re a long time shutter bug or a just taking an interest in life beyond snapshots, the list offers a great “shopping” list of techniques to try out during your next photography session. Among the tips, use leading lines to direct the viewers eyes.
When we look at a photo our eye is naturally drawn along lines. By thinking about how you place lines in your composition, you can affect the way we view the image, pulling us into the picture, towards the subject, or on a journey ‘through’ the scene. There are many different types of line – straight, diagonal, curvy, zigzag, radial etc – and each can be used to enhance our photo’s composition.
Their list of techniques ends with a bit of advice well repeated in the age of digital photography. There is no additional expense through film or processing fees when shooting digital, experiment as much as you want and delete the chafe. For more tips and tricks for getting the most out of your photos make sure to take a peek at how to avoid mediocre portraits and take better self portraits. 10 Top Photography Composition Rules [Amateur Snapper]
- Next Post: Sockso Streams Your Tunes Anywhere Via The Web »
- « Previous Post: Get Your Cord Clutter Under Control With Cable Lacing
Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
I love www.bellavistaphotography.com
czetie
I just bought a used Canon 5D, so the timing of this article is excellent! Thanks LH.
ansonchappell
i'd herd about the rule of thirds a while ago, but always thought 'pfft, like that's going to make any difference' then recently i started giving it a go, and i love the way such a simple thing makes such a huge impact on my photos
wjh31
If the image is in danger to look a little ...boring, get something red in the picture and it looks nice again.
Can't save everything with this but its a nice helper.
idenwen
My Lumix camera has a Rule of Thirds grid like the one shown. It's my standard "desktop."
The rule of thirds is probably the most important rule there is. It is used in the examples of all the rest of the rules. If the Rule of Thirds wasn't discovered by the Greeks then it was certainly in use during the Renaissance.
Limit the points of interest.
Imagine that 75% of the viewer's attention is dedicated to your main subject, and just 25% to any other elements.
Move your feet.
Find the right position to shoot from to ensure the background you want. I have tons of almost-great shots ruined by not thinking about all the stuff behind the subject.
Limit the points of interest.
Imagine that 75% of the viewer's attention is dedicated to your main subject, and just 25% to any other elements.
Move your feet.
Find the right position to shoot from to ensure the background you want. I have tons of almost-great shots ruined by not thinking about all the stuff behind the subject.
@wjh31: as a learning photographer one of the first rules i learned was the Rule of Thirds and, as you said, like magic my pictures became exponentially better. Now it's the first thing I do.
gotcheeze5793
@wjh31: as a learning photographer one of the first rules i learned was the Rule of Thirds and, as you said, like magic my pictures became exponentially better. Now it's the first thing I do.
gotcheeze5793
@longbourne: Minimalism is great. Too many busy photos out there (or photos with ugly horizontal or vertical lines like siding)
These are great, thanks. Just bought a refurb Canon XS which I'm excited to try these with.
BTW the link to the source site doesn't appear in your iphone optimized version of your site.
jordan314
Alright! I love this because it's not a "tweak your megapixels" or "buy this lens" but instead a really useful photo technique.
The Rule of 3rds is like the second commandment of photography (the first being thou shalt not have any other gods before Leica) and should only be broken at your own risk.
Actually, though. I find the rule of thirds can be broken (sometimes) in square compositions. Unfortunately that is such a rare format (not many 6x6 or 126 shooters out there in casual photography) so this tip might not be so hot.
I tend to do the rule of 25-50-25 lines. A subtle difference but it seems to work for me.
about cropping: be sure your images are large. that way, when you crop and resize, the resolution will still be decent. i can't stress that enough.
uptonogood
about cropping: be sure your images are large. that way, when you crop and resize, the resolution will still be decent. i can't stress that enough.
uptonogood
@odoketa: If it were me, I think I'd delete the chaff. But that's just me. Now, chafe amongst yourselves.
privateer
> experiment as much as you want and delete the chafe
I believe in avoiding chafe whenever I can - thus, no leather pants.
@ansonchappell: You bought a 5D, but don't know about composition ???