This is a collection of posts that I originally blogged in 2009, about twelve composition rules in visual art (especially photography) for beginners. I used an article on the site Amateur Snapper (as it was called then) as a guideline, but provided selected examples from my own stream. The image above was created at the Photofunia site.
The Rule of Thirds
Basically, the rule of thirds requests you to mentally divide your image into nine equal segments by two vertical and two horizontal lines. In general, it works best if the most important elements in the shot are positioned close to these lines, or even better close to the points where they intersect. In this example from my stream, the woman and the bucket are placed on the left vertical line, whilst the two most important elements, her face and the bucket, are on intersections. Another good example is shots with a horizon in them - put that on one of the horizontal lines. Like all rules, there will be exceptions where other approaches work even better, but as a general guideline I have found that this is the most important rule to follow to improve the composition.
The Background
The background is surprisingly important for the overall composition, as busy and intrusive backgrounds can be quite detrimental to a shot. Often this is rectified by shooting with a suitable depth of field, yielding a blurred background that can even become a bokeh. If your camera cannot handle this, you need to choose the background wisely. Often a more crowded background may be required to set off a simple main subject as in my shot above). Here the overall composition gains by the somewhat chaotic monochromatic background, because of the added contrast to the regular shape and colour of the can. Note also the rule of thirds in action in the placement of the can in the overall composition.
Framing within the Frame
The framing within the frame technique uses a naturally occurring see-through element as part of the composition. To quote the Snapper site: The world is full of objects which make perfect natural frames, such as trees, archways and holes. By placing these around the edge of the composition you help to isolate the main subject from the outside world. The result is a more focused image which draws your eye naturally to the main point of interest. Once more also, we have the rule of thirds in this composition. The supporting lines of the central square are very close to the imagined rule of thirds lines and the main subject, the photographer, is located on the left centre line of the thirds grid.
Leading Lines
One of the most important tools in defining a good composition is the concept of leading lines. When we look at a photo our eye is naturally drawn along lines, so we can use these to guide the eye to the main subject. Lines can be literal lines but also more abstract lines. Take the example above. The main focus of attention in this shot should naturally be on the photographer's face and camera (which on purpose are located within the frame according to the rule of thirds). There are three natural leading lines towards this main subject: the top of the small wall to his back, both from left and from right, and more subtly, his right leg which automatically directs the eye from the left bottom corner to the subject.
Viewpoint
One thing that sets a decent amateur photographer apart from the holiday snapshooter is the search for an original viewpoint from which to take the shot. This can transform the subject to a surprising extent. A simple example from my own stream is shown above. What would have been a rather boring shot of a dog on the floor becomes far more interesting by putting the camera actually on the floor as well. His surprised, almost indignant look, at this procedure is of course a welcome bonus.
Cropping
Many beginning amateur photographers tend to include too much of the surrounding, whereas the shot can be far more powerful if the main subject fills a large part of he frame. An example from my own stream is shown above. The trick is not to go overboard and leave insufficient breathing space around the subject - as a guide line, 10-15% space on each side will usually be a good compromise. Note by the way how this image also fulfills previously discussed rule: the head follows the rule of thirds, with the eyes practically on an intersection point, the background is contrasting without being too much of an attention drawer, and the viewpoint is lower than many people would use.
Symmetry and Patterns
This shot illustrates the idea behind the compositional tool of symmetry and patterns. The patterns created by the windows, and their interaction at the cross-section between lines and curves, makes for an aesthetically pleasing composition. Slight imperfections tend to further enhance the quality of compositions like these (I refer to them as spicing up the shot), in this case the few open windows breaking the lines are such an additional benefit.
Creating Depth
Transforming the 2D image of a photograph into a 3D scene in our mind can be helped by including objects in the foreground, middle ground and background. Here, the sculpture upfront and the painting in the back create a sense of depth that a shot of just one of these would not have had - whilst the open door in the back helps as well . Note also that the lines of thirds are applied for the positioning of the two art pieces, and that the sculptures legs double up as leading lines.
Lead Room
I hesitate to tackle the subject of lead room, because to me it is very intuitive. However, it appears that people still fall into the trap of doing this wrong, so here we go. Simply stated, the rule requires that if the subject is in motion, there should be plenty of space in front of it included in the frame to give the viewer an idea where it is going. A variation on this is when a subject is clearly looking at something, there should be plenty of space in front of it included in the frame to give the viewer an idea where he/she is looking. Like all rules, it can be broken to great effect in special circumstances, but in general it holds up very well. The shot above would be much less effective if the heron would be placed top left in the frame on another lines of thirds focal point, whilst still flying in the same direction.
Rule of Odds
This is a slightly controversial one, because it is less intuitive. The rule of odds states that images are more visually appealing when there is an odd number of subjects (1-3-5-etc). Of course, many shots of a couple seem to break this rule immediately, but this needs a bit more thinking. Often couples are photographed in an intimate way, touching one another, effectively becoming one combined subject ("two become one" as the Spice Girls would sing). And indeed, when I took pictures of two colleagues, where that physical contact was obviously lacking, I tended to be far less satisfied with the results. This rule holds for persons, animals, objects... and of course is limited to small numbers: no-one will notice whether your sea shells shot has 123 or 124 of them in it. As an illustration, the shot above, which would be less pleasing with just two of the peaks.
The Diagonal
The topic for this post is an important one for composition - and one that beginners often do not realize, as I know from experience. The astonishing power of the diagonal. Lining up the main subject(s) along one of the diagonals gives a far more dynamic feel to the composition, and effectively leads the eye through the shot. This holds for instance for shots that derive their interest from patterns, but its application is far wider than that. As an illustration, this crocodile picture would be much less dynamic and direct with the animal featured on a horizontal line, as might seem a natural way to take it. Note also the close crop to enhance the feeling of power, and the placement of the eye on a rule of thirds focal point.
The Golden Ratio
So you have absorbed the rule of thirds, which featured in the first image in this pos? Good. Now we enter the advanced version: the golden ratio. For an advanced mathematical treatment I refer you to Wikipedia, but suffice it to state that the idea is similar to the rule of thirds, in that the composition is divided by horizontal and vertical lines to form a grid - but instead of exactly lying on the thirds, the position is determined by the golden ratio, as shown above. This is aesthetically even more pleasing, when the lines and focal points are used for the most important parts of the composition. In the example above, the red nail is positioned on a golden ratio focal point, whilst all three chain parts go through the other focal points (note also the strong diagonals in the composition). Maybe less evident and easy to apply than the rule of thirds, but definitely rewarding to explore.
Copyright statement: all images and text copyright Hennie Schaper. Contact me if you like to use them.
