3 Simple Composition Rules that You Can Start Using Today
- 50mm
- Mar 7, 2020
- 3 min read
We talk about composition a lot, and I’ve mentioned it before in a past blog post where I gave a brief explanation about a few different ways to improve composition. Composition is just how the elements of your photograph are arranged. Because pictures are purely visual, the way your photo looks is so important.
In this post I am going to give you a few basic composition rules that you can implement in your photography (yes, rule of thirds again). Using these rules, or any other composition rule, can help you take your photographs from blah to beautiful!
1. Rule of Thirds
The first composition rule we teach 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 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.
2. Leading Lines and Paths
Another fairly simple composition tactic is leading lines and paths. Leading lines are elements of a photograph that lead the viewer through the photo to the subject. Paths are the lines in a photo that lead your viewer's eyes to a vanishing point. Both can be really effective in composing a shot.
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 lead to your subject without a doubt. So making sure that your leading lines have a 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
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, our brains are more like 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.
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 ways to break the rules and step outside of your creative comfort zone!
What is a composition rule you want to try out?
Comments