Composition
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The placement of objects is critical if you want to make your photos look finished and artistic. It’s a good idea to showcase the main subject. You can make the subject stand out by adjusting the placement of the subject, the lighting, or the focus. You can even vary the background and foreground elements. Practice seeing what these different principles can do for your photos.
Different techniques to consider when composing your photographs: the rule of thirds, scale, framing, and patterns.
The rule of thirds keeps a subject from being placed in the middle of your frame. Divide your frame into three sections vertically and horizontally. A subject falling on the intersecting points follows the rule of thirds. This is often very important with landscapes. Your horizon line should be placed on the bottom or top third of your photograph.
Adding a scale to your images can be very pleasing to the eye and interrupt confusion. For example, if you are photographing tall redwood trees a house or barn next to the trees gives them scale. The same goes for the opposite. If you are photographing a rather large spider placing an object next to it gives the viewer a scale and is less confusing.
Naturally framing a subject is also an appealing part of composition. Use elements within the photograph to frame your image. This can be power lines framing a corn field or a window framing a couple.
After practicing with using line in your photographs, you will begin to notice patterns. Spider webs and corn fields are good examples of a pattern.
Two more important elements of good photography are angle and magnification.
You can move around to change the angle you’re taking the picture from. By doing this, you can shoot pictures from slightly above, below, or to the side of your subject to achieve just the right look. You can change the look even more by moving closer or farther away.
Close-ups are great, and you’ll want to include the eyes. Make sure they’re well-lit. Sometimes a full body shot or even a shot from farther back can help establish your location and situation, which may be just the look you’re going for. Practice changing your angle to get some really great shots.
You should also consider the orientation of your photo. Do you want a vertical image or a horizontal image? Some subjects look better vertically, and others horizontally. It depends upon the look and feel you’re going for.
Assignments
While completing each of these assignments keep in mind the orientation (vertical or horizontal) you want for your photos.
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Photograph a sunset keeping the rule of thirds in mind. If the sky has beautiful colors you are wishing to portray then place your horizon line in the bottom third. Or, if the landscape underneath your sunrise or sunset is what you wish to capture then place your horizon line in the top third of your frame. Be sure to keep your horizon line straight and not tilted.
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Next, search for patterns. Keep in mind what you learned about the different types of lines when you are photographing different patterns. Also, remember that your patterns do not need to come solely from the use of lines.