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10rulesofphotocomposition(andwhytheywork)

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what you shoot that counts the way that you shoot it is crucial, too. Poor photo composition can make a fantastic subject dull, but a wellset scene can
create a wonderful image from the most ordinary of situations. With that in mind, weve picked our top 10 photo composition rules to show you how to
transform your images. Dont feel that youve got to remember every one of these laws and apply them to each photo you take. Instead, spend a little
time practising each one in turn and theyll become second nature. Youll soon learn to spot situations where the different rules can be applied to best
effect.
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Inphotography,itsnotjustwhatyoushootthatcountsthewaythatyoushootitiscrucial,too.Poorphotocompositioncanmakeafantasticsubjectdull,
Weusecookiesonthiswebsite.Byusingthissite,youagreethatwemay
butawellsetscenecancreateawonderfulimagefromthemostordinaryofsituations.Withthatinmind,wevepickedourtop10photocompositionrules
toshowyouhowtotransformyourimages,aswellasofferedsomeofourbestphotographytips(http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2012/06/25/49
storeandaccesscookiesonyourdevice.Findoutmoreandsetyour
awesomephotographytipsandtimesavers/)fromtheexpertswhodoitonadailybasis.
preferenceshere(http://www.futureplc.com/cookiespolicy/).

(http://media.digitalcameraworld.com/wpcontent/uploads/sites/123/2012/04/10_rules_photo_composition.jpg)
Dontfeelthatyouvegottoremembereveryoneoftheselawsandapplythemtoeachphotoyoutake.Instead,spendalittletimepractisingeachonein
turnandtheyllbecomesecondnature.Youllsoonlearntospotsituationswherethedifferentrulescanbeappliedtobesteffect.
Photocompositiondoesnthavetobecomplicated.ThereareallsortsoftheoriesabouttheRuleofThirdsandmorecomplexGoldenMean,forexample.
Butifyoupaytoomuchattentiontostrictformulae,yourphotoswillloseanykindofspontaneity.
Intherealworld,youllbeworkingwithawiderangeofsubjectsandscenes,andthisrequiresamoreopenmindedapproach.Whatworksforonephoto
wontnecessarilyworkforanother.
Thekeythingistounderstandhowallthedecisionsyoumakeaboutcompositioncanaffectthewayashotlooksandhowpeopleperceiveyourphotos.
Thewayyouframeashot,chooseafocallengthorpositionapersoncanmakeallthedifference(checkoutourPhotographyCheatSheet
(http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/tag/photographycheatsheet/)seriesforquickfixestosomeoftheseproblems).
Technicalknowhowisveryimportantinphotography,ofcourse,andeveninsomeaspectsofphotocomposition.Buttotakegreatshotsyouneedvisual
knowledgetoo.Hereare10keythingstolookoutfor

10rulesofphotocomposition(andwhytheywork)

PhotoCompositionTip1:Simplifythescene

(http://media.digitalcameraworld.com/wp
content/uploads/sites/123/2012/04/Photo_composition_tips_2.jpg)
ImagecopyrightJureKravanja

Whenyoulookatascenewithyournakedeye,yourbrainquicklypicksoutsubjectsofinterest.Butthecameradoesntdiscriminateitcaptures
everythinginfrontofit,whichcanleadtoacluttered,messypicturewithnoclearfocalpoint.
Whatyouneedtodoischooseyoursubject,thenselectafocallengthorcameraviewpointthatmakesitthecentreofattentionintheframe.Youcant
alwayskeepotherobjectsoutofthepicture,sotrytokeeptheminthebackgroundormakethempartofthestory.
Silhouettes,texturesandpatternsarealldevicesthatworkquitewellinsimplecompositions.
Whyitworks

(http://media.digitalcameraworld.com/wpcontent/uploads/sites/123/2012/04/PhotoComposition_tips_2.jpg)

PhotoCompositionTip2:Filltheframe

(http://media.digitalcameraworld.com/wp
content/uploads/sites/123/2012/04/Photo_composition_tips_3.jpg)
ImagecopyrightJureKravanja

Whenyoureshootingalargescalesceneitcanbehardtoknowhowbigyoursubjectshouldbeintheframe,andhowmuchyoushouldzoominby.
Infact,leavingtoomuchemptyspaceinasceneisthemostwidespreadcompositionalmistake(learnhowtoReplaceboringskiesinPhotoshop
(http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2012/02/29/replaceboringskieswithphotoshopselectiontools/)).Itmakesyoursubjectsmallerthanitneedstobe
andcanalsoleaveviewersconfusedaboutwhattheyresupposedtobelookingat.
Toavoidtheseproblemsyoushouldzoomintofilltheframe,orgetclosertothesubjectinquestion.Thefirstapproachflattenstheperspectiveoftheshot
andmakesiteasiertocontrolorexcludewhatsshowninthebackground,butphysicallymovingclosercangiveyouamoreinterestingtakeonthings(see
ourlistofDigitalcameraeffectsfromAZ(http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2012/02/20/digitalcameraeffectsfromaz/)).
Whyitworks

(http://media.digitalcameraworld.com/wpcontent/uploads/sites/123/2012/04/PhotoComposition_tips_3.jpg)

PhotoCompositionTip3:Aspectratio

(http://media.digitalcameraworld.com/wp
content/uploads/sites/123/2012/04/Photo_composition_tips_4.jpg)
ImagecopyrightAndyLea

Itseasytogetstuckinarutandtakeeverypicturewiththecameraheldhorizontally.Tryturningittogetaverticalshotinstead,adjustingyourpositionor
thezoomsettingasyouexperimentwiththenewstyle.Youcanoftenimproveonbothhorizontalandverticalshotsbycroppingthephotolater.
Afterall,itwouldbetoomuchofacoincidenceifallyourreallifesubjectshappenedtofittheproportionsofyourcamerasensor.Trycroppingtoa16:9
ratioforawidescreeneffect,ortothesquareshapeusedbymediumformatcameras(http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2012/02/07/nikond800packs
363megapixelstorivalmediumformatcamers/).
Whyitworks

(http://media.digitalcameraworld.com/wpcontent/uploads/sites/123/2012/04/PhotoComposition_tips_4.jpg)

PhotoCompositionTip4:Avoidthemiddle

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content/uploads/sites/123/2012/04/Photo_composition_tips_5.jpg)
ImagecopyrightPiriyaPeteWongkongkathep

Whenyourejuststartingout,itstemptingtoputwhateveryoureshootingrightinthecentreoftheframe.However,thisproducesratherstatic,boring
pictures.OneofthewaystocounteractthisistousetheRuleofThirds,whereyousplittheimageupintothirds,bothhorizontallyandvertically,andtry
toplaceyoursubjectononeoftheseimaginarylinesorintersections.Thisisanoverratedapproach,though.
Instead,moveyoursubjectawayfromthecentreandgetafeelforhowitcanbebalancedwitheverythingelseinthescene,includinganyareasof
contrastingcolourorlight.Therearenohardandfastrulesaboutachievingthiskindofvisualbalance,butyoullquicklylearntorelyonyourinstincts
trustthatyoullknowwhensomethingjustlooksright.
Whyitworks

(http://media.digitalcameraworld.com/wpcontent/uploads/sites/123/2012/04/PhotoComposition_tips_5.jpg)

PhotoCompositionTip5:Leadinglines

(http://media.digitalcameraworld.com/wp
content/uploads/sites/123/2012/04/Photo_composition_tips_6.jpg)
ImagecopyrightFernandHick

Apoorlycomposedphotographwillleaveyourviewersunsureaboutwheretolook,andtheirattentionmightdriftaimlesslyaroundthescenewithout
findingaclearfocalpoint.However,youcanuselinestocontrolthewaypeopleseyesmovearoundthepicture.
Converginglinesgiveastrongsenseofperspectiveandthreedimensionaldepth,drawingyouintoanimage.Curvedlinescanleadyouonajourney
aroundtheframe,leadingyoutowardsthemainsubject.
Linesexisteverywhere,intheformofwalls,fences,roads,buildingsandtelephonewires.Theycanalsobeimplied,perhapsbythedirectioninwhichan
offcentresubjectislooking.
Whyitworks

(http://media.digitalcameraworld.com/wpcontent/uploads/sites/123/2012/04/PhotoComposition_tips_6.jpg)

PhotoCompositionTip6:Usediagonals

(http://media.digitalcameraworld.com/wp
content/uploads/sites/123/2012/04/Photo_composition_tips_7.jpg)
ImagecopyrightJureKravanja

Horizontallineslendastatic,calmfeeltoapicture,whileverticalonesoftensuggestpermanenceandstability.Tointroduceafeelingofdrama,movement
oruncertainty,lookfordiagonallinesinstead.
Youcanneednothingmorethanashiftinpositionorfocallengthtogetthemwideranglesofviewtendtointroducediagonallinesbecauseofthe
increasedperspectivewithwideanglelensesyouremorelikelytotiltthecameraupordowntogetmoreofascenein.
Youcanalsointroducediagonallinesartificially,usingtheDutchTilttechnique.Yousimplytiltthecameraasyoutaketheshot.Thiscanbeveryeffective,
thoughitdoesntsuiteveryshotandisbestusedsparingly(seeour44essentialdigitalcameratipsandtricks
(http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2011/02/03/44essentialdigitalcameratipsandtricks/)).
Whyitworks

(http://media.digitalcameraworld.com/wpcontent/uploads/sites/123/2012/04/PhotoComposition_tips_7.jpg)

PhotoCompositionTip7:Spacetomove

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content/uploads/sites/123/2012/04/Photo_composition_tips_8.jpg)
ImagecopyrightMaxEarey

Eventhoughphotographsthemselvesarestatic,theycanstillconveyastrongsenseofmovement.Whenwelookatpictures,weseewhatshappening
andtendtolookaheadthiscreatesafeelingofimbalanceoruneaseifyoursubjecthasnowheretomoveexceptoutoftheframe.
Youdontjustgetthiseffectwithmovingsubjects,either.Forexample,whenyoulookataportraityoutendtofollowsomeonesgaze,andtheyneedan
areatolookinto(checkoutourFreeportraitphotographycroppingguide(http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2012/03/30/freeportraitphotography
croppingguide/)).
Forbothtypesofshot,then,thereshouldalwaysbealittlemorespaceaheadofthesubjectthanbehindit.
Whyitworks

(http://media.digitalcameraworld.com/wpcontent/uploads/sites/123/2012/04/PhotoComposition_tips_8.jpg)

PhotoCompositionTip8:Backgrounds

(http://media.digitalcameraworld.com/wp
content/uploads/sites/123/2012/04/Photo_composition_tips_9.jpg)
ImagecopyrightJohnPowell

Dontjustconcentrateonyoursubjectlookatwhatshappeninginthebackground,too.Thistiesinwithsimplifyingthesceneandfillingtheframe.You
cantusuallyexcludethebackgroundcompletely,ofcourse,butyoucancontrolit.
Youlloftenfindthatchangingyourpositionisenoughtoreplaceaclutteredbackgroundwithonethatcomplementsyoursubjectnicely(findouthowtoFix
backgrounddistractionsin3steps(http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2012/03/08/fixaphotobackgrounddistractionsremovedin3steps/)).Oryoucan
useawidelensapertureandalongerfocallengthtothrowthebackgroundoutoffocus.
Italldependsonwhetherthebackgroundispartofthestoryyouretryingtotellwiththephoto.Intheshotabove,thebackgroundissomethingthatneeds
tobesuppressed.
Whyitworks

(http://media.digitalcameraworld.com/wpcontent/uploads/sites/123/2012/04/PhotoComposition_tips_9.jpg)

PhotoCompositionTip9:Creativewithcolours

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content/uploads/sites/123/2012/04/Photo_composition_tips_11.jpg)
ImagecopyrightJureKravanja

Brightprimarycoloursreallyattracttheeye,especiallywhentheyrecontrastedwithacomplementaryhue.Butthereareotherwaysofcreatingcolour
contrastsbyincludingabrightsplashofcolouragainstamonochromaticbackground,forexample.Youdontneedstrongcolourcontraststocreate
strikingpictures,though(findoutHowtoconquerhighcontrastwithautoexposurebracketing(http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2012/04/03/auto
exposurebracketinghowtoconquerhighcontrast/)).
Scenesconsistingalmostentirelyofasinglehuecanbeveryeffective.Andthosewithalimitedpaletteofharmoniousshades,suchassoftlylitlandscapes,
oftenmakegreatpictures.
Thekeyistobereallyselectiveabouthowyouisolateandframeyoursubjectstoexcludeunwantedcolours.
Whyitworks

(http://media.digitalcameraworld.com/wpcontent/uploads/sites/123/2012/04/PhotoComposition_tips_11.jpg)

PhotoCompositionTip10:Breakingtherules

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content/uploads/sites/123/2012/04/Photo_composition_tips_10.jpg)
ImagecopyrightJohnPowell

Photocompositionisalittlelikeavisuallanguageyoucanuseittomakeyourpicturespassonaspecificmessage.However,justaswesometimesuse
thewrittenwordtocreateadeliberatelyjarringeffect,wecandothesamewithphotosbybreakingwithstandardcompositionconventions.
Doingitbyaccidentdoesntcount,though!Itswhenyouunderstandtherulesofcompositionandthenbreakthemonpurposethatthingsstarttoget
interesting.Itsoftenbesttobreakoneruleattime,asJohnPowelldoesintheimageabove.

Justremember:foreveryrulewesuggest,somewhereoutthereisagreatpicturethatprovesyoucandisregarditandstillproduceafantasticimage!
Whyitworks
(http://media.digitalcameraworld.com/wpcontent/uploads/sites/123/2012/04/Photo
Composition_tips_10.jpg)

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howtosolvethem/)
The10CommandmentsofLandscapePhotography(andhowtobreakthem)(http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2012/03/28/the10commandmentsof
landscapephotographyandhowtobreakthem/)
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compositionandwhytheywork/&title=10+rules+of+photo+composition+%28and+why+they+work%29&description=In photography, its not just
what you shoot that counts the way that you shoot it is crucial, too. Poor photo composition can make a fantastic subject dull, but a wellset scene can
create a wonderful image from the most ordinary of situations. With that in mind, weve picked our top 10 photo composition rules to show you how to
transform your images. Dont feel that youve got to remember every one of these laws and apply them to each photo you take. Instead, spend a little
time practising each one in turn and theyll become second nature. Youll soon learn to spot situations where the different rules can be applied to best
effect.
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