Photo Composition Fundamentals

Let's start with another Ansel Adams quote:

"There are no rules for good photographs.  There are only good photographs."

That's easy for Ansel Adams to say.  For the rest of us, there are definitely some rules we need to at least keep in mind, so our photographs will be better.

Elements of Composition

The difference between a boring snapshot and an interesting photograph is almost always the composition.  OK, sometimes it's also the subject, but I maintain that good composition can make even a boring subject more interesting.

So, what sorts of things comprise good composition?

Composition rule 1:  Symmetry is boring

We naturally gravitate, for some reason, toward symmetry.  At least, we do when we are not behaving as artists.  Symmetry seems to make us feel that everything is somehow in its right place, and so it must be perfect.  Therefore, we put our subjects in the center of the frame, and make sure the horizon is splitting the frame dead center, etc.  But such compositions are generally just not noteworthy, unless the geometric pattern is the subject, and then just maybe we can use symmetry.

Symmetry does not lend itself to tension in the image, and tension in the image is what creates interest.  We want items in the photo to create a war in the mind of the viewer, so that his/her eye is forced to wander around the scene we created.  So, we try to use odd numbers of objects, arrange them in non-symmetric positions in the frame, etc.  When we do that, we cause our attention to continuously search around the image.  And that action is what makes the image memorable.

Good composition can be sophisticated, but there are some easy rules of thumb to keep in mind when we compose a shot that will lead directly to better photos.

Composition rule 2: Rule of Thirds (RoT)

The image at the top of the page has superimposed upon it a framework illustrating the rule of thirds.  Simply put, you divide the frame both horizontally and vertically into thirds, and then place your center of interest at one of the intersection points.  In this case, I chose the focal point to be the grouping of three people walking and placed them off-center to the lower right.

So this grouping is placed in one of the rule of thirds intersection points.  Your eye is drawn there as a natural point of interest.  But that's not all that we have in this photo.

 We also have this natural point of interest down the street.  All the lines in the photo converge on this spot, and so your eye is directed there as well.  These are called leading lines and they are an important way to force the viewer to look where you want.

Notice that the point of interest is off center in the photo.  It's not precisely at one of the RoT intersections, but still it pulls you away from symmetry.  The horizon is probably in that plane, but you can't really see any horizon in the photo so that's not upsetting.  Overall, there is no real symmetry in the frame, even though there is sort of symmetry in the building structures.  But by placing them off center, we broke the symmetry and created the tension.

Looking at the photo again with the lines all removed, you can see how the two areas of interest pull your eye back and forth between them.  The leading lines pull your eye down the street to see what is in the distance, but the grouping of people in the foreground to the right pull your eye back to the front.  Here is the photo with no markings so you can see it better.

See, the leading lines are pulling you down the street, but the people walking near you keep demanding your attention.  So your eye jumps back and forth between those two point of interest.  And that jumping back and forth is what makes it interesting.  You, the viewer, had to participate.

The group of walkers accomplishes another purpose as well as creating visual tension.  They provide depth to the scene.  Without the walkers, the scene is distant and flat, but with the walkers, you have some foreground action that reminds your brain that there are different planes in the photo.

To be fair, I have cropped this image down from the original frame to turn it into a decent image.  The original looked like this:

This image breaks all the rules.  I intentionally was just shooting a wide shot down the street because I knew I could make something out of it later.  So I ignored the composition, mostly.  But as I discussed in earlier posts, that's the fun part for me.  Also, to be fair, the walkers were just dumb luck.  If they hadn't been there, I probably wouldn't have tried to save this shot.  And finally, I shot with the wrong lens, if I intended to get detail in the people at the far end of the street.  But this was the lens that was on the camera at the time, so you get what you get.  To quote my favorite kitschy artist Bob Ross, "We don't make mistakes, we just have happy accidents."