Volumes have been written about this topic and probably without exception, it is always mentioned that there are really no rules that are carved in stone. What we do have is a number of guidelines, all designed to help us create better pictures. However, these should not be looked upon as a replacement for visually evaluating whatever we try to photograph. What we see in the viewfinder of our cameras remains as important as ever. One piece of advice that I always give is “if it looks good, shoot it.”
Some individuals intuitively use good composition and end up with good pictures. For them the guidelines of composition will turn into an explanation of why their pictures look good. For the majority, however, these guidelines will help to create better pictures by simply evaluating what is seen in the viewfinder, applying some of these guidelines and thus end up with better pictures than what otherwise might have been the case.
It is not the purpose of this
article to touch on each and every one of these rules. Instead I will concentrate on just the most
important ones in order to keep this from getting too tedious.
Of all these guidelines, without question the most useful one is the rule of thirds. Here we divide the image seen in the viewfinder by two evenly spaced vertical and horizontal lines. This will help composition in a variety of ways. Not only does it lead to better placement of the main object of the picture, it also suggests better placement of the horizon as well as placement of other important aspects of the picture.
In these four examples I used the rule of thirds by placing the main subject onto one of the four areas where
the horizontal and vertical lines intersect.
Especial with cameras where the autofocus sensor is in the center of the
viewfinder, it is almost intuitive to place the main subject in the center. That usually has the result of the picture
looking somewhat static. Applying the
rule of thirds usually will lead to a noticeable improvement of the picture.
Of course, this brings up the question which of the four intersection point to place the subject on. In the first example, the upper left intersection point is most advantageous in order to emphasize the height of the flying bird. In addition, it is usually better to place a moving subject such that it appears to be moving into the picture, with space in front to move towards.
For the second example there is no clear advantage of one over the other. Here it is simply a matter of what one feels looks best.
The third example is similar to the first one, again leaving room in front of the bird to move towards. I chose the lower right intersection point since the bird just took off, flying low across the surface of the water.
The fourth example was taken from a low vantage point, leading to an upward camera angle. Therefore the picture looks better with the bird up high in the picture with space in front of the bird. The upper right intersecting point is the best choice in this case.
Of course, this brings up the question which of the four intersection point to place the subject on. In the first example, the upper left intersection point is most advantageous in order to emphasize the height of the flying bird. In addition, it is usually better to place a moving subject such that it appears to be moving into the picture, with space in front to move towards.
For the second example there is no clear advantage of one over the other. Here it is simply a matter of what one feels looks best.
The third example is similar to the first one, again leaving room in front of the bird to move towards. I chose the lower right intersection point since the bird just took off, flying low across the surface of the water.
The fourth example was taken from a low vantage point, leading to an upward camera angle. Therefore the picture looks better with the bird up high in the picture with space in front of the bird. The upper right intersecting point is the best choice in this case.
Another aspect of good composition is lines and diagonals. They help to lead the eye toward the subject
and into the picture. The path in this
photograph shows strong lines. The main
subject was best placed on the lower left intersection point because this way
the lines lead to the impression of the bikers moving forward and into the
picture.
Even though placing the
subject into the center of the picture usually will lead to a static looking
image, there are times when this is actually advantageous, as in this
case. The picture contains some very
strong lines which all lead the eye toward the main subject. Utilizing these lines actually made for a
better picture by placing the subject into the center.
Another aspect of the
composition of this picture is the cropping.
Some photographs simply look better when cropped from the typical format
of the camera. The horizontal
emphasis of this picture by cropping the
top and the bottom further enhance the subject position within the picture.
The horizontal and vertical
lines of the rule of thirds also give an indication of proper placement of
strong verticals or horizontals within the picture, like the horizon in this
case. The lower horizontal is
advantageous because it not only eliminated empty grass space in front of the
buffaloes it also allowed to take advantage of the marvelous clouds and blue
sky.
This example combines several
aspects of good composition. The strong
diagonal lines of the background lead to the main subject, the statue, in the
center. In addition, the columns create a
strong pattern which is another element of composition. Finally, the lady viewing the statue creates
a second important viewpoint of the picture.
The placement on the lower left intersecting point very much adds to the
composition, as do the strong colors in the otherwise subdued colors of the
picture, especially the bright, red hair.
This is another example of
strong subject placement, in this case on the right vertical line. The picture
would have had a lot less impact had the subject been placed in the center. In addition the picture is further enhanced
by the pattern of the seats in both the foreground and especially the background.
Placing the subject on the
lower left intersecting point emphasized the upward camera angle without
allowing it to appear distant as it would have been the case had it been placed
on the upper left intersection point. In
addition, the mostly black background creates a lot of so called dead
space. This is often preferable over background
detail which would be distracting. Finally, the violin bow is a strong line, leading to the main subject of the picture.
In portraits it is generally
preferable to have more space in front of the face than in back. Choosing to place the subject in the left
vertical of the rule of thirds assured proper subject placement in this case.
There are, however, times
when the rule of thirds does not apply, as in this case. The strong face of the person in this
picture was emphasized by the close up of it. Since it fills the entire frame, there was no other choice than to center it. Anything else would have been distracting.
Another element of good
composition are curves or s-lines. As in
this example, they are an interesting element of the picture that helps to lead
the eye into the picture.
Of course, these elements of
good composition don’t apply just to photography. They have been applied by the great masters
for years, just as in this case of the painting “The Bridge At Argenteuil” by
Claude Monet. It contains numerous
elements of good composition. The
bridge shows several strong lines, including a pattern created by the upright
pillars and it also leads the eye toward the background. The
sailboat in the foreground is placed in the lower left intersection point of
the rule of thirds. The mast the
boom and the bow sprit of the boat also form very strong lines.
The combination of all of these elements of good composition ultimately make for a very interesting picture.
There are certainly
additional rules of composition. As mentioned above, to keep
this article from becoming too long and possibly too confusing, I tried to
concentrate on the most useful ones here.
Applying these when possible or warranted will lead to better pictures
and over time, photographers will get used to it to the extent that these rules
and their application will become second nature. At that point, we will bridge the difference
between just taking pictures and creating photographs.
