3 Composition Rules and How to Use Them

We talk about composition a lot, and if you’ve ever taken any sort of art class you have learned about some of the rules of composition. In photography, composition is just how the elements of your photograph are arranged. Because pictures are purely visual, the way your photo looks is so important. My friend Ween has taken art classes so she was excited to get out there and start applying the rules she has learned to photography. In this post I am going to give you a few basic composition rules that you can implement in your photography. I’m also going to show you some of the photos Ween took while trying to follow them. Using these rules, or any other composition rule, can help you take your photographs from blah to beautiful!

1. Rule of Thirds

When using the rule of thirds you want your subject to be on one of the lines or close to one of the intersections.

The first composition rule that we all learn is the rule of thirds. This is because it is simple and easy to implement. It also encourages new photographers to start thinking about the entire frame of their photo and get out of the rut of placing the subject right in the middle of the photo, making more interesting shots. Imagine a tic-tac-toe board. And then lay that over the top of your photo. You want the subject of the photograph to be on one of the lines, or even better at one of the intersections. When you are composing and thinking about the shot you will take, think about what the most interesting part of the photo is, and then try and place that subject at an intersection.

In this photo Ween was trying to follow the rule of thirds by placing the group of flowers near one of the intersections in the tic-tac-toe grid. Photo by: Nguyen Pham

In most cameras there is an option to place a grid over the screen or in the viewfinder so that you can have some help composing your photograph while you are getting ready to take it. Ween was already really familiar with this rule and she set out to capture some photographs that followed the rule of thirds.

2. Leading Lines

In this image the yellow lines on the road lead directly to the subject.

Another fairly simple composition tactic is leading lines. Leading lines are elements of a photograph that lead the viewer through the photo to the subject, and they can be really effective in composing a shot! Ween had heard about this one too, but she did have some trouble finding lines that she wanted to use in her photos.

Ween saw these lines on the side of a building and decided they would make great leading lines. Photo by: Nguyen Pham

Human eyes just naturally follow lines, so being able to use those lines to your advantage can be a great way to step up your photography game. Think about driving down a road, a long straight highway. And in front of you is a ginormous beautiful mountain. If you stop where you are (yep, right in the middle of the highway) and take a photo, the road would act as leading lines toward the mountain. You want to be sure to choose lines that are strong and that without a doubt lead to your subject. So making sure that your leading lines have a strong purpose is really important, otherwise they are working against you. If your leading lines just lead the viewer’s eye out of the frame or to no particular subject, you probably need to reevaluate them.

3. Rule of Odds

Ween saw these windows and thought they would be perfect for showing the rule of odds. She was right! Photo by: Nguyen Pham

The rule of odds states that images are more visually appealing when there is an odd number of subjects. Our brains just like odd numbers better, when speaking visually. The best odd number to use is 3. While 5 and 7 are still good, if there are 9, our brain starts to just think of it as a lot and so this rule loses its effectiveness. If you have 3 elements, arranging them in a line or in a triangle is a great way to compose your image. If you have an even number of elements, there could still be a way for you to use the rule of odds. Rather than seeing three elements, it’s more like our brains are seeing three groups. So if you can arrange your even number into an odd number of groups, you may be able to use this rule in your photo.

Even though the rule of odds can be used in 5s or 7s, Ween found out that 3s were the easiest to find.

Ween liked the idea of this one, but had a hard time finding things in odd numbers that she wanted to take photos of. But in the end she did a great job.

Like all other “rules” in art, they are really just all guidelines. However, you gotta know the rules before you can break them. So learn how to use all these composition rules. Try them out in your photography and see how they improve your photos. And then find creative ways to break the rules and step outside of your creative comfort zone! When I started out I was always placing my subject directly in the middle of the frame, and sometimes I still do. And while that can sometimes be effective, more often than not it would be more effective if we used one of these rules.

What is a composition rule you want to try out?