Photo Tips: How to Compose Great Photographs

What are the best photo tips for turning an average snapshot into a really great photograph? That's easy: good composition techniques. When a photograph is well composed, it is pleasing to the eye and it holds the viewer's attention. The picture is interesting - it says something. A great composition will likely produce a great photograph - one that inspires or evokes strong emotions; one that is memorable.

To take a great picture, you must first think about how you will compose it within the frame. Always consider these three basic guidelines:

1. The theme of the photograph. What is the message that you want to convey?
2. The subject of the photograph. What will be the main focus of attention?
3. Simplification. How can the photograph be simplified to its most necessary elements?

With these three guidelines in mind, you can use one of a number of effective methods to create a memorable photographic composition. Your main goal here is to focus attention or emphasis on your main subject. Once you have achieved this, your other two goals (theme and simplification) will likely fall into place. So, our first compositional goal is to learn how to emphasize the subject:

Placement

What do you want to say about the subject? Your placement of the subject within the composition tells the viewer a lot. Professional photographers rarely place the subject dead center, although sometimes this works best, depending upon the subject and the message being conveyed. Try using the rule of thirds; imagine the composition divided into three sections - horizontal or vertical or both - and place the main subject at one of these divisions.
If anything, place your subject off-center and see what happens.

Converging lines

Imagine a figure running to the end of a long hallway. The figure may be very small, but in a photograph the figure could not be missed. Why? Because of so many converging lines - the floor, walls, and ceiling - all meeting at a distant point as they draw your eye to the figure. Vertical and horizontal lines can make your composition more dynamic and pull you in. Look for converging lines everywhere: skyscrapers (look up!), fences stretching to the horizon, city streets and tree-lined country roads, crop furrows, interesting architecture (and its shadows), wooden walkways, etc.

Framing

Your subject can become greatly enhanced when surrounded by an interesting element within the scene. Move around a bit and see if you can find a way to frame your subject through a fence, the spokes of an old wagon wheel, an old stone archway, or overhanging branches. Your subject could be silhouetted in bright sunlight, surrounded by shadowy trees or a covered bridge or doorway. A cat sleeping on a windowsill has already found a ready-made frame!

Relative size

If your subject is in the foreground, and everything else is distant, the relative size of your subject (large) compared to everything else (small) is all that is needed to emphasize its importance. Be sure to pay attention to where the subject is within the composition, not just its size. Remember the rule of thirds.

Selective lighting

A perfect example here would be a person standing in a spotlight: no question as to what is being emphasized in the photograph. Consider the idea of using light or rays of light with adjacent shadows to create an interesting composition and a little mystery as well. This technique is particularly effective when photographing landscapes, especially as the sun begins to set.

Repetition

Repeated images form patterns and patterns are interesting to the eye. Look for repetition when selecting a subject. Consider a crowd of children all wearing red baseball caps or a row of aspens reflected in a calm lake. Look for similar repetitive images that are interesting to the eye. Consider rows of brightly colored stuffed animals in a game booth at the fair, or a group of people all carrying colorful umbrellas on a rainy day. Look for patterns in subjects and colors!

Motion

Sometimes your subject may be blurry due to inopportune movement when the shutter was released. Maybe the background appears indistinct as well. Is this a bad thing? Consider a galloping horse, a rushing soccer player, or people scurrying through a rain storm. What better way to emphasize movement than a slightly blurry subject with indistinct legs and a swirling background! Your theme of motion, action, or rushing is very apparent.

Selective focus

With a simple adjustment of the aperture, or lens speed, your camera can focus specifically on your subject. This means your subject will be sharply focused, while the other elements in your composition will be out of focus. This technique can even be used to “focus” on a subject that is in the middle ground or the background. If your camera has adjustable f-stops, you can use selective focus with lower f-numbers such as f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8... This means the aperture is opened up wide, resulting in a narrow depth of field. This technique is particularly effective for informal outdoor portraits.

Once you have used one or more of these methods to emphasize your subject, you’ll find that you have likely completed the first two guidelines: you have found a way to focus attention on your subject, and in the process you have chosen a theme or a message to convey.

Now take one last look at your composition. Are there any distractions? Can the composition be simplified in any way to eliminate clutter or unnecessary "busyness"? Maybe take a step back or to the left or right. If an offending object isn't nailed down, go ahead and remove it from the scene. Now, view your composition again.

Finally, take several shots, each slightly different than the last. Use up a roll of film if you must! One of these will likely be the memorable photograph you were seeking.

~Sandra Bynum

An avid photographer since childhood, Sandra Bynum set up her own darkroom at age 14. She earned her BA in Fine Arts, and continued to hone her photographic skills while homeschooling her children. Ms. Bynum is a freelance writer who recently opened a fine arts teaching center.