What Is Photography Composition?

In photography, composition is the method in which the photographer arranges the

various elements in a photo. A well-composed photo is balanced in an aesthetically pleasing

way (which can sometimes mean that it is deliberately—and artfully—off balance).

What Are the Elements of Photography?
Before you point and shoot your next photo, take time to identify the various elements that
might be in your scene by name. The elements of a photo include:

Subject(s)

A subject can be anything from a person or an animal to an inanimate object or flora and
fauna. Composition helps determine the subject of the photo by placing emphasis; for
example, in a photo with both a dog and its owner, the photographer may choose to apply
the focus principle and depth of field rule to blur the owner, thereby making the dog the
primary subject.

Background and foreground

The foreground—what’s in the closer field of vision—and the background—what’s in the

far field of vision—help frame the photo. They serve to provide contrast, depth, and lines
that can dramatically alter your photo, based on your position in relation to each of these
elements. For example, in street photography, the backgrounds of buildings provide color
and texture, as well as a steady contrast to the human subjects filtering in and out of the
scene.

Symmetry

Symmetry creates a striking, interesting effect. Look for matching objects, mirror images,
or repetition in shapes and patterns within a single frame. Symmetry also helps balance a
photo.

Depth and space

Depending on the position of the camera in relation to the foreground, background, and
subject, there are endless ways to demonstrate the feeling of space, depth, and dimension
in a photograph. For example, you can take stand head on and photograph straight ahead
with straight horizontal lines for a two-dimensional effect, or you can take the same photo
from an angle, focusing the camera on something in the foreground for a shallower depth of
field.

Another technique, called compression, plays with the concept of manipulating space
within the frame. Learn more about compression below.

Lines

Both vertical and horizontal lines create a natural frame for your photo. Lines can balance
the photo, direct the eye, and create feelings of calm or confusion (try looking at a photo
with diagonal lines!).
Texture

Light, specifically the direction of light, impacts texture. Objects with blurred edges or in
soft focus feel romantic, while objects in harsh, direct light might show grain or ridges and
bumps. Texture impacts the emotional quality of an image; the same subject can display
varying textures under different lights.
What Are the Principles of Compositional Technique?
The basic principles of compositional technique form the foundation of most art. Apply the
following principles to photography to create more thoughtfully composed images.

 Unity: the sense that all elements in a single photo belong together.
 Balance: the feeling that all elements are in the “right” place.
 Movement: the effect of motion or stillness in a single photo.
 Focus: the central point of the image, the primary focal point for the viewer’s eye.
 Contrast: the difference between elements, for example light versus dark in color, or
large versus small in shapes.
 Pattern: the repetition of elements, from colors to lines and subjects.
What Are the Rules of Composition?
Rule of Thirds

The Rule of Thirds places your subject on the left-third or right-third of the frame, creating
a pleasing composition. To apply the Rule of Thirds to your photo, divide the image with
two horizontal lines and two vertical lines. Place your subject within one side for a
balanced photo.
Portraits and Direction of Sight

In portrait photography, it’s common to center the subject in the frame. When you’re
shooting portraits of people, unless they’re looking straight at the camera, you typically will
want to leave a little bit of room for them to be facing toward the center of the photo. This
rule of composition is called Direction of Sight, and it feels very natural because then the
person has some room to be looking. But you’ll note that if the person is looking directly at
the camera, then it’s totally fine to center the subject in the frame left-to-right:

Leading Lines

Leading Lines bring the viewer’s eye through the frame. The viewer’s eye will travel along
the lines as it moves across your photo. They can be anything from a paved road to
telephone wires, train tracks to artfully arranged flowers. Think of leading lines as a guide;
they should have a clear beginning (usually somewhere near the bottom of your frame)
through to an aesthetically pleasing end (somewhere in the center of the scene).

Depth of Field

A basic rule of composition: depth. Depth is when you have something in your foreground,
and something in your background. Shallow depth of field immediately brings the viewer’s
attention to whatever is in focus in the photo.

Negative Space

Negative space simply means that there’s a large area of the photo that’s mostly “empty,”
used to balance a photo. Negative space helps draw a viewer’s eye to certain aspects of the
photo. The effect negative space has on a photo can be striking or austere. Art Directors on
commercial shoots love negative space, because it gives them room to place their text over
a photo, without covering up any important details.

Compression

To bring more drama in your photos, you can create scenes that aren’t actually seeable by
the human eye. One way to do this is through compression— using a very long lens to make
the background appear a lot closer than it actually is. (Remember, wide angle lenses distort
space by making the background appear farther away; telephoto lenses do the opposite.)

The longer your lens, the more compression you can get. At 200mm, you can get some
compression, but at 400mm you’ll be able to create arresting images because you’re
making an image that we can’t really see with our own eyes. Suddenly the background will
look so close to your main subject that it starts to look a bit fantastic.

4 Examples of Composition in Photography

Jimmy Chin is adept at photographing in extreme conditions because he has to be. The
following images are Jimmy’s examples of how an ingrained understanding of composition
can lead to incredible photos.

1) Leading Lines and Rule of Thirds

Jimmy shot this photo in the Bugaboos in Eastern British Columbia, popular with mountain
climbers because of their beauty and variety of climbing routes. He used basic tools of good
composition to bring balance and interest to the scene.
Note how there is a continuous line of the ridge, which leads your eye to the summit. This is
a “leading line.” The line is further emphasized because it divides the bright, sun-lit area
from the darker, shadow-filled side of the mountain.

The main subject is certainly the peak in the upper right, but the leading line of the ridge
which leads to the peak is equally important in bringing visual interest and balance to the
photo. The photo also uses the Rule of Thirds, where the main subject is positioned along
the right vertical-third line.
2) Negative Space
In this photo, the white snowy/ cloudy areas are the negative space, balancing the warm
rock and colorful climber on the left.
3) Isolate the Subject
In this photo, Jimmy isolates his subject in two different ways: color and brightness levels.
The subject stands out because of his bright red coat, and because Jimmy positioned
himself so that there was a relatively bright, white area behind the subject. Both of these
choices help make the subject pop against the background.

4) Depth of Field
In this case, Jimmy gets close to the rock, which is the foreground, and has his main subject,
Conrad, in the background. The photo has another layer of depth because of the Tetons in
the
distance.

6 Exercises to Practice Composition in Photography

Want to shoot photos like Jimmy? Get started with understanding the basic rules of
composition by practicing the following exercises.

Photograph near and far.

To bring more depth to your images, take a photo of something in the distance using a
somewhat wide lens (35mm or wider). Now take a photo of the same thing but put
something else in the foreground. (If you have a friend with you, you can have your friend
stand far away at first, and then much closer to the camera.)

Compare the two photos; do you notice how much deeper the second photo feels? Your eye
travels back and forth between the foreground and background, giving the photo a deeper
sense of space.

Shoot against the sky.

Practice shooting with negative space by selecting a subject that stands out against the sky
(like a statue, a tree, or a single tall building). Start by taking photos where the subject is
vertically centered, then take variations of the photo where it gets progressively lower in
the frame.

How low can you go? You might be surprised at how striking an image you can create by
purposely leaving most of the image “empty.”

Make your subject pop.

Practice isolating your subject from the background to make it pop out. Have a friend wear
all dark colors, and then shoot him/her against lighter-colored backgrounds. Figure out the
best position so that your friend has a clean silhouette, without any encumbrances. You can
also have your friend wear a single, strong color and the shoot so that the color pops out in
the scene.

Shift positions.

Practice taking photos using the Rule of Thirds. Take multiple photos of the same subject,
putting it on the different third lines. Then photograph the subject dead center in the frame.
Shoot a lot of photos. Later, look at the images and decide which ones you like best. Then
show them to a photography mentor or friend you trust, asking them which ones they like
best and why.
Look out for leading lines.

Keep on the lookout for ways you can add Leading Lines to your images. Is there a street or
a fence that you can include in the photo to help draw your eye toward the main subject?
And if it’s not a literal line that draws the eye, is there something else, like a person’s
shadow, that you can use as a leading line?

Break the Rules.

Once you’ve mastered some of the basic rules of composition you can begin to break them
for dramatic effect. A great photo doesn’t have to follow the basic rules of composition, but
it’s still critical to learn and internalize these rules so that it’s clear you’re breaking them
not out of ignorance, but for stylistic reasons.
The Howser Towers: A Mountain Portrait Jimmy took this photo of the Howser Towers,
which are the tallest peaks in the Bugaboos, reaching 3,412 m (11,194 ft). In this photo,
Jimmy didn’t follow the traditional rules of composition; instead, he centered the main
subject, which is typically frowned upon for a landscape shot.

But in this case, it works because the mountain has such presence. In fact, Jimmy refers to it
as a “mountain portrait.” In portrait photography, it’s common to center the subject in the
frame, and that’s probably what was subconsciously going through Jimmy’s mind when he
shot this photo. He even put the peaks of the mountain in the upper third of the frame,
which is where you typically place the eyes of a person if you’re making a portrait.

Like all rules of composition, you can break them if you want to, but you should have a
good reason to do so. Even if that reason is just to see what might happen, because
photography is about combining experience with experimentation, after all.

28 Composition Techniques
That Will Improve Your Photos
U PD ATED FEB 15, 2023

BAR RY O CA RRO LL
There are no unbreakable rules when it comes to how you should compose your
photographs. After all, who likes rules except for your old school principal or
heads of H.R. departments? There are, however, several photography
composition guidelines you can use to help improve the composition of your
photos.

Some of the ideas presented in this article have been around for millennia and
have been used in art and architecture by some of the most famous names in
history.
Here’s the thing about these ideas; they constantly contradict each other. And
that’s ok. No one idea presented here is “better” than another. They can be used
on their own, combined, or completely disregarded depending on what you are
trying to achieve in your photograph. You won’t get sent to the principal’s office
for ignoring them. I promise. After all, there is more than one way to cook an egg.
Poached egg is obviously the best way though, and I’ll fight anyone who says
otherwise.

In this tutorial, I’ve listed 28 of these guidelines along with examples of each. I’ve
started with the most basic ones and finished with some of the more advanced
composition techniques.
Photography Composition Defined
First, we have to define what is meant by ‘composition’. Composition refers to the
way the various elements in a scene are arranged within the frame. As I’ve
already mentioned, these are not hard and fast rules but guidelines. That said,
many of them have been used in art for thousands of years and they really do
help achieve more attractive compositions. I find that I usually have one or more
of these guidelines in the back of my mind as I’m setting up a shot.

At a Glance
Here is an index of the 28 composition techniques covered in this article:

 #1. Rule of Thirds

 #2. Centered Composition and Symmetry
 #3. Foreground Interest and Depth
 #4. Frame Within the Frame
 #5. Leading Lines
 #6. Diagonals and Triangles
 #7. Patterns and Textures
 #8. Break the Pattern
 #9. Rule of Odds
 #10. Fill the Frame
 #11. Leave Negative Space
 #12. Simplicity and Minimalism
 #13. Use Black and White
 #14. Isolate the Subject
 #15. Shoot from Below
 #16. Shoot from Above
 #17. Look for Particular Color Combinations
 #18. Rule of Space
 #19. Left to Right Rule
 #20. Balance Elements in the Scene
 #21. Juxtaposition
 #22. Golden Triangles
 #23. Golden Ratio
 #24. Let the Background Give Context to the Subject
 #25. Let the Eye Wander Around the Frame
 #26. Use Layers in the Frame
 #27. Add Human Interest
 #28. Wait for the “Decisive Moment”
We’ll start with probably the most well-known composition technique: The Rule of
Thirds.
#1. Rule of Thirds
So, I’ve just told you that there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to
composition and then the first thing, I write about is the ‘rule’ of thirds. In my
defense, I didn’t come up with the name. The rule of thirds is very simple. You
divide the frame into 9 equal rectangles, 3 across and 3 down as illustrated
below. Many camera manufacturers have included the capability to display this
grid in live view mode. Check your camera’s manual to see how to turn on this
feature.

The idea is to place the important element(s) of the scene along one or more of
the lines or where the lines intersect. We have a natural tendency to want to
place the main subject in the middle. Placing it off-centre using the rule of thirds
will more often than not lead to a more attractive composition.

In this photo, I’ve placed the horizon roughly along the bottom third of the frame
and the biggest and closest trees along the line to the right. The photo wouldn’t
have the same impact if the larger trees had been placed in the center of the
frame.
In this photo of the Old Town Square in Prague, I’ve placed the horizon along the
top third of the frame. Most of the buildings sit in the middle third and the square
itself occupies the bottom third of the frame. The spires of the church are placed
near the horizontal line to the right of the frame.
Temple Bar, Dublin, Ireland
In this street photograph taken in my home city of Dublin, I’ve placed the woman
in red walking along the street on the point where two of the grid lines intersect.
The cobbled street roughly occupies the bottom third of the frame; the building
ground floors frontages occupy the middle third and the upper floors of the
buildings occupy the top third. Having the rule of thirds grid activated in live view
on my camera really helped me with composition when I took this photograph.

#2. Centered Composition and Symmetry

Now that I’ve told you not to place the main subject in the center of the frame, I’m
going to tell you to do the exact opposite! There are times when placing a subject
in the center of the frame works really well. Symmetrical scenes are perfect for a
centered composition. They look really well in square frames too.
Ha’penny Bridge, Dublin, Ireland.

This photo of the Ha’penny Bridge in my home city of Dublin was the perfect
candidate for a centered composition. Architecture and roads often make great
subjects for centered compositions.
Scenes containing reflections are also a great opportunity to use symmetry in
your composition. In this photo, I’ve actually used a mix of the rule of thirds and
symmetry to compose the scene. The tree is positioned off-center to the right of
the frame but the perfectly still water of the lake provides the symmetry. You can
often combine several composition guidelines in a single photograph.
Maynooth University, Ireland
Square cropped frames can be a suitable option for centered compositions. A
square is completely symmetrical after all. I actually studied French and history at
this university over twenty years ago. I had very little time for photography though
as I was just so busy drinking beer discussing eighteenth-century French poetry
and the merits of enlightened absolutism in Prussia with my fellow scholars.
Dublin Docklands, Ireland
Symmetry doesn’t always have to be vertical in nature. Reflections can create
the perfect opportunity to capture some horizontal symmetry. Early morning and
evening times often present good opportunities for reflections like this as the air
cools and the wind drops.

#3. Foreground Interest and Depth

Including some foreground interest in a scene is a great way of adding a sense of
depth to the scene. Photographs are 2D by nature. Including foreground interest
in the frame is one of a number of techniques to give the scene a more 3D feel.
In this photograph of a waterfall in The Netherlands, the rocks in the river
provided a perfect source of foreground interest.
Sonsbeek Waterfall, Arnhem
Adding foreground interest works particularly well with wide-angle lenses.
I took this photograph in the Dublin Docklands. The dock cleats along the quay
provided the foreground interest in this shot. I think it adds a real sense of depth
to the composition. The dock cleat in this scene was only a few meters in front of
me when I took this shot. Including it in the frame portrays a sense of depth in the
scene by including an element that I was quite close to as well as the bridge and
buildings in the distance and everything in between them.
A friend who was with me that evening tripped over one of the cleats and almost
ended up getting a very close-up view of the River Liffey. That’s one way of
adding depth to the scene I guess.

#4. Frame Within the Frame

Including a ‘frame within the frame’ is another effective way of portraying depth in
a scene. Look for elements such as windows, arches, or overhanging branches
to frame the scene with. The ‘frame’ does not necessarily have to surround the
entire scene to be effective.
In the photo above taken on St Mark’s Square in Venice, I used the archway to
frame St Marks Basilica and the Campanile at the far end of the piazza. The use
of scenery viewed through arches was a common feature of Renaissance
painting as a way of portraying depth. As you can see, the square was
completely empty when I took the shot. This is one of the benefits of getting up at
5 am. Early morning is one of my favorite times to get out and about with the
camera.
Frames don’t have to be man-made objects such as arches or windows. The
photo below was taken in County Kildare in Ireland. This time, I used the tree
trunk to the right and the overhanging branch to create a frame around the scene
containing the bridge and boathouse. Notice that even though the ‘frame’ doesn’t
actually surround the whole scene in this case, it still adds a sense of depth.

Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland

Natural features such as trees can also be used to frame a scene. In this case,
the Autumn trees frame the stone bridge. In this case, I also used a centered
composition with the bridge in the middle of the frame. Note that the frame
doesn’t necessarily have to completely surround your subject. It could be trees
on either side, as is the case here.

Using a ‘frame within a frame’ presents a great opportunity to use your

surroundings to be creative in your compositions.
#5. Leading Lines
Leading lines help lead the viewer through the image and focus attention on
important elements. Anything from paths, walls, or patterns can be used as
leading lines. Take a look at the examples below.
In this photo of the Eiffel Tower, I used the patterns on the paving stones as
leading lines. The lines on the ground all lead the viewer to the Eiffel Tower in the
distance. You’ll also notice that I used a centered composition for this scene. The
symmetry of my surroundings made this type of composition work well.
Leading lines do not necessarily have to be straight as illustrated by the picture
above. In fact, curved lines can be very attractive compositional features. In this
case, the path leads the viewer to the right of the frame before swinging in to the
left towards the tree. I also made use of the rule of thirds when composing the
shot.

#6. Diagonals and Triangles

It is often said that triangles and diagonals add ‘dynamic tension’ to a photo. My
mother-in-law also does an excellent job of adding tension to any scene. What do
we mean by ‘dynamic tension’ though? This can be a tricky one to explain and
can seem a bit pretentious. Look at it this way, horizontal lines and vertical lines
suggest stability. If you see a person standing on a level horizontal surface, he
will appear to be pretty stable unless he’s stumbling out of a pub at 2 am. Put this
man on a sloping surface and he’ll seem less stable. This creates a certain level
of tension visually. We are not so used to diagonals in our everyday life. They
subconsciously suggest instability. Incorporating triangles and diagonals into our
photos can help create this sense of ‘dynamic tension’.
Incorporating triangles into a scene is a particularly good effective way of
introducing dynamic tension. Triangles can be actual triangle-shaped objects or
implied triangles. I’ll explain this in more detail in a moment.

This picture of the Samuel Beckett Bridge in Dublin incorporates plenty of

triangles and diagonals into the scene. The bridge itself is an actual triangle (It’s
actually supposed to represent a Celtic Harp on its side). There are also several
‘implied’ triangles in the scene. Notice how the leading lines on the right of the
frame are all diagonal and form triangles that all meet at the same point. These
are ‘implied triangles’. Having diagonals going off in different directions adds a lot
of ‘dynamic tension’ to the scene. Once again you can see how I have combined
two techniques to compose the image: leading lines and diagonals.
In this photo of the Hotel de Ville in Paris, the implied triangles and diagonals
create a sense of dynamic tension. We are not used to seeing buildings leaning
at such angles in our everyday life. It is slightly jarring to our sense of balance.
This is what creates the visual tension. You can also talk about dynamic tension
to sound intelligent (or annoyingly pretentious) in front of your friends.

#7. Patterns and Textures

Human beings are naturally attracted to patterns. They are visually attractive and
suggest harmony. Patterns can be man-made like a series of arches or natural
like the petals on a flower. Incorporating patterns into your photographs is always
a good way to create a pleasing composition. Less regular textures can also be
very pleasing to the eye.
The photo above was taken in Tunisia. I’ve used the pattern in the paving stones
to lead the eye to the domed building. The building itself incorporates a pattern in
the form of a series of arches. The domed roof also compliments the rounded
arches below.
In this second photo, also shot in Tunisia, I really liked the texture of the
stonework on the ground. This is less regular than the pattern in the first photo
but the play of light and shadow on the surface is very pleasant. There are also
interesting textures to be on the walls and roof of the passage. You may also
have noticed that the arch creates a ‘frame within a frame’ around the man and
cafe on the other side of the archway.
#8. Break the Pattern
Sometimes using a pattern in your composition means breaking the pattern. This
was actually suggested to me in one of the comments of the last article I wrote
on composition.

Odd One Out | Adobe Stock

I’ve already said that some “rules” are there to be broken. The same goes for
patterns. Breaking the pattern can really make your photograph pop. In this case,
the single red candle really stands out among the vanilla-colored ones. It’s also
slightly taller than the others which is another way of breaking the pattern. Notice
how the photograph still follows the rule of thirds.
#9. Rule of Odds
In the world of photography, there are certainly plenty of ‘odds’ but the ‘rule of
odds’ is something different entirely. The rule suggests that an image is more
visually appealing if there are an odd number of subjects. The theory proposes
that an even number of elements in a scene is distracting as the viewer is not
sure which one to focus his or her attention on. An odd number of elements is
seen as more natural and easier on the eye. To be honest, I think there are
plenty of cases where this is not the case but it is certainly applicable in certain
situations. What if you have four children? How do you decide which one to leave
out of the shot? Personally, I’d go by future earning potential.

The photo above is an example of the rule of odds. I deliberately framed the
scene to include three arches. I think that two arches would not have worked as
well and may have divided the viewer’s attention. It also so happened that there
were three people in the scene. This composition also makes use of patterns and
‘frames within a frame’.
In the photo of two gondoliers in Venice above, you will see that I’ve completely
ignored the rule of odds. It is true that your attention may shift back and forth
between each gondolier. However, this is exactly what a conversation between
two people is like, a back and forth. For this reason, I think the even number of
subjects works in this case.
St. Mark’s Square, Venice
This photo was also taken on Saint Mark’s Square. This time, it completely
ignores the “rule of odds” several times in the frame. There are two principal
human subjects, four street lamps, and two ornate columns, all even numbers.
It would also be a lot of trouble to get out my angle grinder to cut down one of the
street lamps. As for the columns, I don’t know where I’d start. I’d need a very
strong rope and a heavy truck at least. In Venice, that would have been a
challenge. I could always ask one of the subjects to leave the scene or ask
somebody else to join them I guess. Or I could just ignore the rule of odds.

#10. Fill the Frame

Filling the frame with your subject, leaving little or no space around it can be very
effective in certain situations. It helps focus the viewer completely on the main
subject without any distractions. It also allows the viewer to explore the detail of
the subject that wouldn’t be possible if photographed from further away. Filling
the frame often involves getting in so close that you may actually crop out
elements of your subject. In many cases, this can lead to a very original and
interesting composition.
In the photo of my pet cat on the left, you’ll notice that I filled the frame
completely with his face, even cropping out the edges of his head and mane.
This allows the viewer to really focus on details such as the eyes or the textures
in his fur. You may also notice that I used the rule of thirds in this composition.
He is a lovely pet but you should see the state of our furniture. He also loves
children but he couldn’t eat a whole one.

In the second shot of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, I have left very little space
around the edges of the building. the point of this photograph is to showcase the
architectural detail of the front façade of the building.
Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris
In this photo, Notre Dame Cathedral and the adjacent buildings almost
completely fill the frame. This allows us to explore details such as the flying
buttresses, the stonework, or the ornate balconies on the building next door. It is
a scene where the eye wanders around the frame.

#11. Leave Negative Space

Once again, I am going to completely contradict myself! In the last guideline, I
told you that filling the frame works well as a compositional tool. Now I’m going to
tell you that doing the exact opposite works well too. Leaving a lot of empty or
‘negative’ space around your subject can be very attractive. It creates a sense of
simplicity and minimalism. Like filling the frame, it helps the viewer focus on the
main subject without distractions.
This photo of a giant statue of the Hindu god Shiva in Mauritius is a good
example of using negative space. The statue is obviously the main subject but I
have left plenty of space filled only by sky around it. This focuses our attention on
the statue itself while giving the main subject ‘space to breath’ so to speak. The
composition also creates a sense of simplicity. There is nothing complicated
about the scene. It is the statue surrounded by sky, that is all. I also used the rule
of thirds to place the statue to the right of the frame.
Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland
This simple landscape photograph makes use of negative space. The misty
morning actually helped obscure some of the background elements making the
tree on the left really stand out with little to distract from it.

#12. Simplicity and Minimalism

In the last guideline, we saw how leaving negative space around the main
subject can create a sense of simplicity and minimalism. Simplicity itself can be a
powerful compositional tool. It is often said that ‘less is more’. Simplicity often
means taking photos with uncomplicated backgrounds that don’t distract from the
main subject. You can also create a simple composition by zooming in on part of
your subject and focusing on a particular detail.
In this first photo, I zoomed in on some water droplets on a leaf in a garden. It’s
such a simple subject but is also very beautiful because of its simplicity. A good
macro lens can be a very useful tool for creating these types of photos.
In this second photograph of a tree at dawn, I made use of a very simple and
uncluttered background to focus attention on the tree. This photo makes use of
‘negative space’ to create a sense of simplicity and minimalism. I’ve also used
the rule of thirds and leading lines in the composition.

#13. Use Black and White

Converting a photograph to black and white can be a very effective method of
simplifying your composition. In some ways, color itself can be a distraction.
Black and white photography often allows us to focus on the textures, light,
shadows, and shapes in the frame. Take a look at the following photographs
taken along the Copper Coast in County Waterford, Ireland.
Copper Coast, County Waterford – Colour Version
The light in this version actually isn’t all that interesting. It’s that harsh daytime
light that is rarely conducive to spectacular landscape photography. The location
itself has potential though. Let’s see what happens when we convert this image
to black and white.

Copper Coast, County Waterford – Black and White Version

With the “distraction” of color removed, I think this becomes a much stronger
shot. That harsh light now helps to highlight the textures on the tree, in the grass,
on the cliffs, and in the sky. The bold shape of the tree stands out against the sky
and the scattered clouds in the sky look more dramatic. The color was hiding
much of this in my opinion. Not every shot is suited to a black and white
conversion but in this case, I think it was.

#14. Isolate the Subject

Using a shallow depth of field to isolate your subject is a very effective way of
simplifying your composition. By using a wide aperture, you can blur the
background that might otherwise distract from your main subject. This is a
particularly useful technique for shooting portraits. You can learn more about how
to use different aperture settings in my tutorial on Aperture, Shutter Speed and
ISO.

In this photo of a cat hiding in a box, I set an aperture of f/3.5 which is very wide
and results in a very blurred background. This focuses attention on the cat as the
blurred background is now less distracting. This technique is an excellent way to
simplify a composition. You may have noticed that I also used this technique to
focus attention on the water droplets on the leaf in the last guideline.
#15. Shoot from Below
The vast majority of photographs are taken from head height. That’s not very
high in my case as my experience with the borrowed Dutch bicycle
demonstrates. Getting down low or up high can be a great way of capturing a
point of view that is more dynamic or interesting. I have often seen wildlife
photographers lying on their bellies to get that special shot.

Eiffel Tower, Paris

I took this photograph of the Eiffel Tower while standing at its base and pointing
my camera up. This was also a perfect occasion to use a centered composition
due to the symmetrical subject. It means I have a photo that’s a little different
from the majority of shots of this Parisian landmark.
Sometimes finding that perfect point of view means getting your feet wet. Above
is a shot I took while standing in a stream in Ballyhoura, County Limerick, Ireland.
I actually had to wait quite a while for a rain shower to pass and the sun to come
back out. It was worth it though to get low down and capture the motion of the
water as if flowed over the rocks. I needed several hot whiskeys after to warm
myself back up though.
#16. Shoot from Above
Whenever I visit a new location, I like to get high at least once. I also like to take
photographs from a high vantage point at some point during my trip. Before my
trip, I always research the possibilities to take some bird’s eye photos. Most cities
and towns usually have a high building or bell tower you can climb to get some
shots from high above your surroundings. Just make sure they allow tripods if
you plan to bring one.
Markt from the Belfry of Bruges
I had to work extremely hard to get this shot of Markt Square in the heart of
Bruges. For a start, I had to lug my camera gear up 366 narrow steps to the top
of the Belfry. Now thankfully I’m in shape. Well I mean, round is a shape, isn’t it?
As I wheezed my way to the summit, I think some of my fellow climbers were
worried I might require medical attention. I actually met a guy whose office was
right at the top of the belfry. He told me that he made the trip up and down the
tower several times a day in a suit and dress shoes. Whereas I looked like I’d just
climbed Everest; he barely broke a sweat.
Paris from the Montparnasse Tower. This shot of Paris at night was taken from
the roof of the Montparnasse Tower in the 15th Arrondissement. Whenever I visit
a city, I always try to see if there are any buildings with viewing platforms to allow
me to photograph the city from above. Getting high up gives you the chance to
capture spectacular views of a city, especially at night.
When you think of places in Paris to climb up high, you immediately think of the
Eiffel Tower. The problem with shooting from the top of Paris’ most iconic
structure is that you can’t include the Eiffel Tower in your shot! This is why
the viewing deck of the Montparnasse Tower in the south of the city is a much
better location to capture a bird’s eye view of the City of Light. The tower itself is
a pretty ugly building, to be honest, so being on top of it has the added
advantage that you can’t see it while you are up there.
This photograph was taken just after sunset while there was still some color in
the sky. I waited for the “decisive moment” the Eiffel Tower sparkled as it does
for one minute on the hour, every hour throughout the night. If I had waited
another hour, however, the beautiful purple tones in the sky would have been
gone.
#17. Look for Particular Color Combinations
The use of color itself is an often overlooked compositional tool. Color theory is
something that graphic designers, fashion designers, and interior designers are
all very familiar with. Certain color combinations complement each other well and
can be visually very striking.

Take a look at the color wheel above. You can see that the colors are arranged
logically in the segments of a circle. Colors that are opposite each other on the
color wheel are said to be ‘complimentary colors’. As photographers, we can look
for scenes that incorporate complementary colors as a way of creating attractive
and striking compositions.
Have you ever noticed how many movie posters have blue and yellow/orange
color schemes? This is done quite deliberately to create eye-catching adverts.
Customs House, Dublin.

I made use of the striking blue/yellow color combination myself in this photograph
of the Custom House in Dublin. The yellow hues of the illuminated building
contrast beautifully with the deep blue of the blue hour sky.

Stephen’s Green, Dublin.

Red and blue are also complimentary colors on the color wheel. The Stephen’s
Green Shopping Center in Dublin was lit up red for Christmas last year. This was
very striking against the deep blue of the early night sky. I love photographing
cities during blue hour. The deep blue of the sky at this time provides a very
attractive backdrop to the city’s architecture and lights. The pure black of the late-
night sky is not as striking and contrasts too sharply with the lights of the city.

#18. Rule of Space

The rule of space relates to the direction the subject(s) in your photo is facing or
moving towards. If you are taking a photo of a moving car, for example, there
should be more space left in the frame in front of the car than behind it. This
implies that there is space in the frame for the car to move into. Take a look at
the example of the boat below.

In this photo, the boat is placed on the left-hand side of the frame as it moves
from left to right. Notice how there is a lot more space for the boat to move into in
front of its direction of motion (to the right) than behind it. We can mentally
imagine the boat moving into this space as it sails along the river. We also have
a subconscious tenancy to look forward to where an object is heading. If the boat
was right up at the right-hand side of the frame, this would lead us out of the
photograph!
This can also be used for pictures of people. The rule of space suggests that the
subject should be looking or facing into the frame rather than out of it. Take a
look at the musician in the photo above. I composed the shot with him sitting on
the left-hand side of the frame. He is facing to the right (as we look at him) into
the area of space between him and the right-hand edge of the frame. If he had
been facing the other way, he would be looking out of the frame and this would
look odd. By looking into the space in the frame, he leads our eye past the man
leaning on the railing and to the couple dancing on the right-hand side.
The Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Admittedly, I’m not much of a sports photographer but I quite like this shot I
snapped with my camera phone during a rugby match featuring the mighty
Leinster. Notice how the kicker (Johnny Sexton) is placed to the left of the frame
and the ball is traveling into the space on the right. He made the kick by the way.

When I was a kid, the modern stadium you see in the photograph hadn’t been
built yet. Instead, there was a rather basic and decaying old ground called
Lansdowne Road. Back then, my dad used to lift me over the turnstiles to get in
for free. We tried doing this again recently but with less success. I’m now 41
years old, have put on a few pounds since I was a kid and my dad has had a hip
replaced.

#19. Left to Right Rule

There is a theory that says we ‘read’ an image from left to right in the same way
we would read text. For this reason, it is suggested that any motion portrayed in
a photograph should flow from left to right. This is all very well but it assumes the
viewer is from a country where text is read from left to right. Many languages are
read from right to left such as Arabic for example. To be honest, I’ve seen plenty
of fantastic photographs that ‘flow’ from right to left.

I was once criticized by a judge for the fact that a woman in a photo I took was
walking from right to left. He told me it didn’t follow the ‘left to right’ rule. I
reminded the judge that the photo was taken in Tunisia where people read from
right to left. I didn’t win.
The photo above follows the ‘left to right’ rule. The woman walking her dog in the
Tuileries Garden in Paris is walking from the left to the right of the frame.

Tuileries Gardens, Paris

This photo also adheres to the ‘rule of space’. You will notice that there is much
more space in front of the woman than behind her. She has plenty of ‘space’ to
walk into in the frame. I also used the rule of thirds and a ‘frame within a frame’ to
compose this photograph.

Campo in Venice, Italy

In this photograph, I completely ignored the left to right rule. Does the photograph
suffer as a result? I don’t think so. What interested me was the woman walking
across the beautiful campo while staring at her phone (as we so often do these
days) as well as the colorful buildings bathed in the evening light. Frankly, I don’t
really care what direction she is walking in. I suppose I could have asked her to
walk back from where she came from.

Once during a club competition, a judge docked points from I photo I took in
Tunisia for not adhering to the left to right rule. I argued that as the photograph
was taken in an Arab country where people read from right to left, this should not
apply. Unsurprisingly, I did not win.

#20. Balance Elements in the Scene

The first compositional guideline we looked at in this tutorial was the Rule of
Thirds. This of course means that we often place the main subject of the photo to
the side of the frame along one of the vertical grid lines. Sometimes this can lead
to a lack of balance in the scene. It can leave a sort of ‘void’ in the rest of the
frame.

To overcome this, you can compose your shot to include a secondary subject of
lesser importance or size on the other side of the frame. This balances out the
composition without taking too much focus off the main subject of the
photograph.

Take a look at this photograph of the ornate lamppost on the Pont Alexandre III
in Paris.
The lamppost itself fills the left side of the frame. The Eiffel Tower in the distance
counterbalances this on the other side of the frame.

You may have remarked that this seems to go against the idea of negative space
mentioned in guideline number 10. It also contradicts the ‘rule of odds’ as we
now have an even number of elements in the scene. As I said at the very
beginning of this tutorial, there are no unbreakable rules in photographic
composition. Some of these guidelines contradict each other and that’s ok. Some
guidelines work well for certain types of photographs and not others. It’s a
question of judgment and experimentation.

The photo above was taken in Venice. Once again, a decorative lamppost
dominates one side of the frame. The church tower in the distance provides
balance on the other side of the frame.

This also has a secondary effect on the composition. The church tower in the
distance is obviously much bigger than the lamppost in real life. It appears
smaller in the photograph as it is far away. This helps add a sense of depth and
scale to the scene.

#21. Juxtaposition
Juxtaposition is a very powerful compositional tool in photography. Juxtaposition
refers to the inclusion of two or more elements in a scene that can either contrast
with each other or complement each other. Both approaches can work very well
and play an important part in enabling the photo to tell a story.
Mauritshuis, the Hague

In this photograph, there is a juxtaposition between the beautiful older buildings

of the Hague in the bottom half of the frame and the modern skyscrapers that
rise behind them. The handsome building in the center is the Mauritshuis
Museum which houses paintings such as “The Girl with the Pearl Earring” and
“The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp” by Rembrandt.

I spent a few days cycling around the Hague on a borrowed bike made for a 6-
foot 4 Dutchman. I am a 5-foot 5 Irishman so that was fun and quite terrifying as I
dodged trams on the uneven cobbled streets. On several occasions, I got my
bike wheels stuck in a tram line. In this case, you basically have two choices: fall
to the left or to the right. I tried both on multiple occasions.
Look at this photo taken in Paris. In the bottom half of the frame, we have the
slightly rough and ready book stands full of clutter and posters hanging from the
tops. Rising above all of this, however, is the magnificent medieval Notre Dame
Cathedral. This architectural gem is the epitome of order and structure unlike the
unsophisticated but attractive bookstalls below. They seem to be in direct
contrast with each other, yet they work well together. They both represent the city
of Paris in different ways. They tell a story about two different elements of the
city.
Dealul Mitropoliei – Bucharest
Contrasting the natural and built environments is another way of using
juxtaposition, In this case, the delicate pink roses contrast with the solid man-
made building in the background. In this case, I blurred the background but not
so much that we can’t make what is there. We saw this in the section on letting
the background provide context.

The photo above was also taken in France, but this time in the picturesque little
village of Meyssac in the South West. In this shot, the old Citroen 2CV car looks
perfectly at home in front of the typical French cafe in the background. The two
elements complement each other perfectly. The man with his back to us in the
cafe is the owner of the car and he seemed surprised when I asked if it was ok to
take a picture of his car. He asked why I’d ever want to take a photo of ‘that old
thing’. He didn’t seem to realize that he had unwittingly set up a quintessentially
French scene by parking in front of that particular cafe.
#22. Golden Triangles
The golden triangles composition works in a very similar way to the rule of thirds.
Instead of a grid of rectangles, however, we divide the frame with a diagonal line
going from one corner to another. We then add two more lines from the other
corners to the diagonal line. The two smaller lines meet the big line at a right
angle as is illustrated below. This divides the frame into a series of triangles. As
you can see, this way of composing helps us introduce an element of the
‘dynamic tension’ we learned about in guideline number 6. As with the rule of
thirds, we use the lines (of the triangles in this case) to help us position the
various elements in the scene.

The photo above contains strong diagonals that follow the lines of the ‘golden
triangles’. The light trails from the traffic perfectly follow the diagonal line running
from the top right-hand corner to the bottom left-hand corner. The tops of the
buildings on the left are close to the smaller diagonal on the left. The small line
on the right meets the larger line at the top corner of the buildings.
The photo above makes use of the ‘rule of triangles’ in a more subtle way. The
heads of the statues create an ‘implied triangle’. This line leads us to the Eiffel
Tower in the distance. The smaller line on the left meets the longer line right at
the halfway point of the Eiffel Tower. The smaller line on the right goes right
between the two statues. The rule of triangles can seem like a complex way of
arranging a photo but it can result in some really striking compositions.
#23. Golden Ratio
What is the golden ratio? Well, it’s actually very simple: two quantities are in the
golden ratio if their ratio is the same as the ratio of their sum to the larger of the
two quantities. Wait, what now? Ok, if that sounds too complicated, perhaps this
mathematical formula will help:

What do you mean you’re even more confused now? Is this form clearer?

Ok, that seems to have just made things worse. Forget all that.

I often describe the golden ratio as being a slightly more complicated version of
the rule of thirds with a little bit of the golden triangle’s method thrown into the
mix. Take a look at the image below.
The Golden Ratio / Fibonacci Spiral
.
Rather than dividing the frame into equal rectangles, it is instead divided into a
series of squares as in the example above. This is known as a “Phi Grid”. These
squares are then used as a guide to add a spiral that looks like a snail’s shell —
this is known as the “Fibonacci Spiral”.

These squares, lines, and spiral are then used to lay out the elements in the
frame as with the rule of thirds and golden triangles. The spiral is supposed to
lead the eye around the frame and show us how the scene should flow. It’s a bit
like an invisible leading line. We will look at leading lines in more detail shortly.
The similarities with the rule of thirds and golden triangles become clearer once
we add a few lines to the diagram. The golden ratio also divides the frame into 9
parts although this time they are not all the same size and shape. The diagonals
we saw in the golden triangle’s examples can also be added here.

It is believed that the golden spiral method of composition has been in existence
for over 2,400 years having been devised in Ancient Greece. It is widely used in
many types of art as well as architecture as a way of creating aesthetically
pleasing compositions. It was particularly well employed in Renaissance art.
The Parthenon, Athens |

Ok, I have to admit something here. I have never actually purposely set out to
compose a photograph using the golden ratio. When I looked back through my
photographs, I did notice that I had unintentionally used it a few times.
Here is a perfect example of one of my accidental uses of the golden ratio. I took
this photo in Venice. The bridge and steps on the left occupy the large square to
the right. The Fibonacci Spiral then leads us from here across the top of the
bridge and down to the two women sitting next to it. It may have been a lucky
accident but it seems to work!
The golden ratio can be set up in different directions. In this photo taken in
Prague, the spiral leads us across the bridge to the castle on the far bank.
Another lucky accident!
Paris, France

In this case, the Fibonacci Spiral starts in the top right-hand corner, passes under
the couple dancing and finishes on the street musician’s face. The fact that I
accidentally stumbled upon the golden ratio a few times shows how many of
these composition “rules” may actually be manifestations of our internal aesthetic
preferences that come naturally to us. Woah. Deep. It reminds us that these
should be used as ideas and not strict rules.

#24. Let the Background Give Context to the

Subject
Now it’s time to contradict myself again. There are times when I like to use a
busy background. In these cases, I want to background to provide some context
to my subject.
Dublin Seagull
This photograph doesn’t contain any old seagull. This is a Dublin seagull! The
slightly blurred O’Connell Street in the background gives the subject some
context. The fact that he was eating a bowl of coddle and drinking Lyons Tea
when I spotted him also lets me know that he was indeed a Dublin seagull.
Notice, how the background is still blurred but not so much that the seagull
doesn’t stand out. It’s about getting a balance between not distracting from the
subject and providing background context.
Dealul Mitropoliei – Bucharest

I took this photograph of a rose at a monastery complex on the outskirts of

Bucharest, Romania. Once again I blurred the background just enough to let the
rose stand out. There is still however enough detail to show the viewer the
context that the rose was photographed in.

#25. Let the Eye Wander Around the Frame

And for my next trick, I will once again completely contradict myself. This is the
antithesis to the concept of simplicity and minimalism. There are some occasions
I like to take photographs with plenty happening in the frame. Take a look at the
paintings of Pieter Bruegel to see an excellent example of art with plenty of
different characters and activities going on in the frame.
Temple Bar, Dublin
This photograph was taken in the Temple Bar area of Dublin City. The frame is
full of different characters and activity. In this case, the eye can wander around
the frame noticing all the little details such as the flowers, the building details,
and various people walking, exiting a building, or checking their phone outside a
pub. There is no one main subject.

It is not a question of simplicity being preferable to complexity or vice versa. One

isn’t inherently “better” than the other. It all depends on what you are trying to
achieve with a particular photograph.

#26. Use Layers in the Frame

A very effective way to add a sense of depth to a photograph is to shoot a scene
that contains layers of elements at varying distances from your vantage point.
These layers can lead the eye through the scene from the foreground, through
the middle distance to the background.
Groenerei Canal, Bruges
In this photograph of a canal in Bruges, the bridge acts as foreground interest.
The buildings along the canal provide the next layer in the middle distance.
These buildings then lead the viewer through the image towards the more distant
elements. Finally, the bell tower from a distant church rises from behind the other
buildings in the background. In this case, I did the opposite to the photos with
foreground interest; I used a zoom lens to compress the perspective.

#27. Add Human Interest

Including some human interest in a scene can make a photograph far more
engaging as well as adding a sense of scale. this is something I sometimes
forget as a mainly urban landscape photographer. I’ve noticed that most of my
best urban photographs include people somewhere in the frame.

Ponte Romana, Tavira

The old bridge in the large town of Tavira in Portugal is a very attractive
photography location in itself. This photograph would have been quite good
without any human interest but I think the lone figure really makes this shot. The
person adds life to the scene as well as giving a sense of scale to the
surroundings. I had to wait a while for the right person to enter the scene and
click the shutter at the right moment. We will see more about capturing these
“decisive moments” next.

#28. Wait for the “Decisive Moment”

The idea of the “decisive moment” in photography is of course most associated
with the great French street photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson. But what did
Cartier-Bresson mean by the “Decisive Moment”? The great man himself said the
following photography quote:
Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and
you must know with intuition when to click the camera. —Henri Cartier-Bresson
In the case of Henri Cartier-Bresson, this meant clicking the camera at the exact
moment a man leaped over a puddle behind Gare Saint Lazare or capturing the
fleeting cheeky expression of a French boy as he joyfully carried a bottle of wine
in each hand through the streets of Paris.

Carmersstraat Bridge, Bruges

This is actually one of my personal favorite photographs from my portfolio. I took

it on an atmospheric misty morning in the picturesque Belgian city of Bruges. The
location for this photograph was certainly interesting but for me, it is the man
crossing the bridge on his bicycle that makes this photograph special.

This was one of those occasions when I had to wait for that exact right moment
to press the shutter. I crouched beside a canal sidewall, composed my shot, and
waited…. and waited…. and waited some more. Every so often, someone would
cycle across the bridge but the shot would be ruined by a car coming in the
opposite direction or perhaps the cyclist would look too modern for the mood I
was trying to create in the final photograph – very inconsiderate in my opinion!
Finally, after about 45 minutes, I saw the gentleman you can see in the photo
approaching the bridge. I waited until he was right in front of the light-colored
building you see right behind him so he would stand out and pressed the shutter.

It was one of those moments I knew straight away that I’d gotten the shot I
wanted from this location. I think it was worth the wait. I was quite lucky as there
was a car coming from the opposite direction ready to spoil my shot. Thankfully
for me the cyclist just beat him to the bridge. I think he should consider taking
part in the Tour de France this year.

Phoenix Park Tearooms, Dublin

Sometimes capturing the “decisive moment” can be a case of being in the right
place at the right time. In this case, I had already set up my camera to
photograph the old tea rooms in the Victorian Era Phoenix Park in Dublin. As I
was waiting, a young couple entered the frame and said goodbye with a tender
kiss in front of the doors to the tea rooms. Patience and luck both play a role in
capturing the “decisive moment” in your photographs.

Applying These Composition Tips to Your

Photography
I have told you that it is often possible to combine two or more of the composition
ideas I’ve covered in one photograph.

Arcade du Cinquantenaire, Brussels

This shot taken in Brussels combines several of the ideas we covered in this
section: centered composition, symmetry, rule of thirds, leading lines, rule of
odds, frame within a frame, and color theory.

Obviously, it would be impossible to have all of these compositional guidelines in

your mind as you are out shooting. Your brain would melt! However, a good
exercise is to make an effort to use one or two of them each time you go out. You
could do a photo session where you look for situations to use a ‘frame within a
frame’ for example.

After a while, you’ll find that a lot of these guidelines become ingrained. You will
begin to use them naturally without having to think about them. As you can see
from the golden ratio, I even used one of them without even realizing it!