The Anatomy of a Well Composed Image | Six Rules of Photography Composition

What is it about certain images that make you say “Wow. That is beautiful!”?

Yes, the subject matter and the moment are the most important, but the thought behind the process of composing the image are the supporting actors who bring the whole thing to life. Communicating through composition is a skill that takes years to hone and is never perfected. Every single time I push the shutter I  think about the composition. Should I be lower or higher? Should I use the crowd to frame the subject? Should I get closer or should I have the space around them create the drama in the photo?

These thoughts are based on a set of rules that every photographer, painter, artist of any kind has learned. They are the basic rules of composition that allow us to communicate our vision to you. I wanted to share some examples of photographs I’ve taken based on these six rules.

Leading Lines

The dominant lines in the photo lead your eye to the subject.

Rule of Thirds

Keep the subject AWAY from the center of the frame.

Framing

Use something in the image to create a frame around the subject.

Point of View

Shoot from very low or very high to see things from a different point of view. My favorite is the “worm’s eye view” 🙂

Depth of Field

Use the aperture to control how much of the subject and background is in focus.

Shadows & Texture

 

Negative Space

The negative space helps to make the positive space more noticeable. Even though the subjects are small they are still the main focus of the photos.

For more information on the rules visit this page, and for more details on negative space go here.

We learn something new everyday. I hope you enjoyed your little photo lesson! 🙂