Composition Tips

I'm going to be honest here, composition is something I struggle with. I think once I know a technique then I can apply it, but my biggest problem is being creative in the moment. I seem to forget everything and revert to my rookie days where I take a photo with 90% background and 10% subject.

The thing that has helped me out the most so far has been my advanced photography class. It has come and gone, but I can see the impact it has had on my photography. I'm not a pro yet (heck I'm not even an amateur really!) but I can see the difference.

So, without further adieu, here are some pointers I picked up in the class.

1) French tilt

At least, that's what I was told it was called. Why? I don't know. Basically, you tilt the camera a little bit. It fills in some corners and somehow makes the shot more compelling.



2) Don't crop the picture at the joints, leaving you wondering where that limb has gone.

Like in the above photo. Here is a better crop line (if I'm not concerned with if it's 8X10, or whatever size):

Which also goes along with the one tip of...

3) Crop it tighter

This one is all according to style and preference, but generally, the closer you crop it, the better the shot, because you're not being distracted by all of the extra in the photo. Here are a couple more examples:

(notice how both of these are on an angle? It's easier to crop things tighter if you're willing to tilt the camera a bit, as per the good old "French Tilt" technique)

4) Look to the left

Okay, so only I call it "Look to the Left" but the idea is that, because we read left-to-right, you generally want the eye to read left-to-right in a photo. That means leaving the blank space at the left side of the photo, and having the content at the right-hand side, if you plan on doing the photo off-centre. Like so:

5) Rule of Thirds

Rather than centering a photo, try lining up the most eye-catching things 1/3 or 2/3 of the way across the photo. It also works vertically as well. In fact, take a clear piece of paper or plastic, and cut it out into the shape of a 4X6 photo. Then measure it out and draw 4 lines so you have 9 equal-sized rectangles, with two vertical and two horizontal ruler-lines. Then you can set it over top of a photo and see if your composition fell on the "rule of thirds" lines. You'll be surprised how often photos you just like for no particular reason follow this "Rule of Thirds" rule....er...guideline...whatever it is!

Here are some examples:

(notice the "Look to the Left" on this one?)

6) Over-expose...just a teeny bit!

From what I've seen, most people photographers tend to over-expose theirs photos a little. Some go a little too far with it, in my opinion, so that when you see that gorgeous wedding dress you can't see ANY of the detail, but a little over-exposed never hurt anyone! It's great though because it also serves the purpose of making the subject's skin more clear and vibrant.

So this is an example of too over-exposed, because there are parts of the skin that are going white. Still though, check out how smooth and luminous my not-so-clear skin looks!

(Okay, so you've already seen this one! Sorry. I don't have a good example on hand, and I don't have time at this moment to look for one! You get the picture, though, right?)

And there you have it. Apart from the last tip, all of these tips can be applied to non-people photography as well. So next time you're out, give it a try! And if you can think of any techniques you like to use that I haven't mentioned in this post, leave them in the comments, as I'm always looking for new ways to take pictures!