First of all, let me just say that rules can easily be broken in photography and look great. These are just some rules that can help make some of your pictures look even better and more creative.
1- The rule of thirds- This rule says that you don’t put your subject right in the middle of your picture. You would put it in the top right, one third corner, the top left, one third corner, bottom right or bottom left, one third corner. And, yes Abby is singing “Oh what a Beautiful Morning”. Also the sky and the clouds are fake. I will show you how to do this later.
2- Patterns and Shapes- It’s fun to look for patterns and shapes that make pictures more interesting. You can find patterns everywhere, interesting doors or windows with patterns, wood working, looking straight up from the bottom of a tower or building, fallen leaves, flowers, etc. and you can create your own. I have some fun fabric backgrounds that anyone is welcome to borrow! You can see shapes that make your photograph more interesting. Squares, rectangles (buildings), triangles (mountains or sets of three) and circles (flowers and a setting sun) are everywhere in our world. Start to pay attention to them.
3- Texture and Contrast- these are also everywhere in our world and make great photographs. Look for peeling paint, old wood, old stone, dirt, rocks etc. Notice contrast. If your subject is light look for a dark background. If your subject is dark, look for a light background in order to make them stand out.
4- Lines- Lines are fun and they can be straight or curved. Lines can be horizontal, vertical, diagonal or converging. Look for lines that lead the eye through your photograph such as a curving road or path. Straight lines that go diagonally through your photograph also lead the eye and can be very interesting.
5- Framing- Look for ways to frame your subject such as a doorway, a window, foliage, an arch, a tunnel or even other people.
6- Perspective- You can get a completely different picture lying down on the ground, looking straight at or standing up high looking down at the same subject. None of them are wrong. They are just different.
Texture, Color and Rule of Thirds
Shapes, Texture, Perspective
7- Balance and Symmetry- I tend to like symmetry in my horizontal pictures and most of my vertical ones, but once in a while I like to throw something off balance with a vertical picture. It can make things a little more interesting.
Framing, Color, Texture, and Lines
Lines, Asymmetry, and Contrast
8- Color- We all love color in our photographs. The best photo shoots are the ones with lots of great colors, whether it is in the clothing, painted structures, flowers or whatever. Look for color and use it in your photographs.
Assignment:
List all the compositional elements in your notebook and practice taking pictures that incorporate one or more of each of them. There is the rule of thirds, patterns and shapes, textures and contrast, lines, framing, color and perspective. Then try a little asymmetry. Take pictures of each of the elements of composition and post you favorites on the blog.
Filling the frame is another way to improve your compositions. After taking a picture of a scene, take a step closer and fill the frame with something interesting in your picture. You will be surprised at how much fun that can be! Another trick is to fill the bottom of the picture with something. This works especially well with vertical pictures. I got this one of the White House by lying down on my stomach.
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