Composition simply refers to how the picture is framed.
While there are certain guidelines or "rules" that exist, you need to remember that they are just rules, nothing more. The following basic composition techniques can be broken and still will yield interesting or excellent results. You just need to know when to break them. Composition is also a form of art, so it really varies depending on what you wanted to achieve.
I will now discuss a few pointers in terms of composition.
1. Rule of thirds
One of the most fundamental compositional rule is known as the "rule of thirds". The crux of the idea is that placing the object of interest in the thirds of the frame rather than the center is better. It is simply where the human eye is trained to observe a scene and is more pleasing for the eye.
For this rule, most cameras allow you to display the grid while shooting.
Imagine a frame that is split into three parts vertically and horizontally by two perpendicular lines.
- Simply place the object of interest in either one of the four possible intersection of the lines and you'll get better results than placing them dead center.
- Additionally you should also place the horizon on one of the horizontal lines. Place the horizon on the lower line if there are more interesting things in the sky or place it on the upper line if there's more stuff on the lower line.
- When taking shots of a person, place the eyes along the upper horizontal line.
- If the subject is in motion (running person, moving car, etc.) try to align them so that they move into the frame instead of out. I.e if the car is moving to the left, align it on the right verticle line. This is sometimes called the 'active space rule'. (Break if you want to create a sense of mystery, action, drama).
- Break if you purposely want a symmetrical composition (such as a long straight road leading towards the horizon).
- You can also break it if you want a shot with symmetrical reflections in the water
One of the most important thing to keep in mind and master is to take a picture that is straight in the horizon. One of the worse thing you can do is to take a crooked shot of a scenery. Simply use the grid from your camera view as a guide and snap.
If you fail, simply correct it in post-production.
When to break?
- It is effective if used correctly in portrait shots. It conveys energy and movement.
- The key to breaking this is not to just do it slightly but do it purposely with more twists. This is because if you do it just slightly, it will give the impression that you have failed to keep your shots straight.
Sometimes is it useful to lead the viewers eyes towards your subject. Use the surroundings to your advantage such as power lines, roads, drains, walls, etc. It will create a more pleasing picture.
4. Get low, or get high
Simply taking a shot from a standing position is fine. However by getting lower than the eye level or higher, you can add a different perspective to your shots.
This is useful if you're taking group pictures. Simply stand on higher groud and have everyone look up to you and you'll notice a difference. Getting low also allows you to compose according to the rule of thirds by moving the background in relative to the subject.
5. Think foreground and background
This is an important issue to take into account. Always think a scene that is made up of foreground (subject interest) and a background.
A photograph is essentially two dimensional with no depth. Using this principle will infuse a sense of depth into your shots.
Try this, the next time you go out to shoot a scene, look around your surrounding and move around. Try to compose with something interesting (a chair, rocks, flowers, etc) in the foreground to add into the background. It will make the picture more pleasing and interesting instead of just having the background.
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