Beethoven was a great composer of music. Rembrandt was also a great composer who did his composing with paints. To move your photos from the typical vacation pictures that sit in boxes to the photograph you would be proud to hang in your home or possibly see published, you too must be a composer. Your pictures should be composed so that all the parts work together. Each item in a picture has an effect on the whole, so don't just point and shoot. Take a little time to compose each picture into the masterpiece it could be.

    One of the most common problems people have when taking photographs is that when they see the finished product, the reaction is usually, “That looked a lot better in real life,.” or even, “Why did I take that?”

    At the time you take the pictures, you see what you want to see; but the printed or displayed result only shows what the camera saw and without some work on your part, they are not usually the same thing. Another problem is that although you know what your subject is, it can be hard for someone who was not there to determine your intent if too many elements in your picture make it confusing. Eliminate all unimportant elements by moving closer, zooming in, or choosing a different shooting angle. Move your subject or change your camera angle to find a simple, uncluttered background. Taking this extra step before you press the shutter button makes a big difference in the end result.

    The following are a few simple rules that will improve the overall quality of your photographs. As with all rules, it is the exceptions that can sometimes give you the best product, but you have to know why there are rules.

1) Follow the rule of thirds: Placing the subject off-center often makes the composition more dynamic and interesting. Even if your subject fills the frame, the most important part of the subject (for example, the eyes in a portrait) should not be dead center. An easy way to compose off-center pictures is to imagine a tick-tack-toe board over your viewfinder. Avoid placing your subject in that center square, and you have followed the rule of thirds. Try to place your subject along one of the imaginary lines that divides your frame.

When taking scenic pictures, be careful of where the horizon falls. Just as an off-center subject is usually best, so is an off-center—and straight—horizon line. Avoid cutting your picture in half by placing the horizon in the middle of the picture. To give the feeling of spaciousness, keep the horizon low in the picture. To suggest closeness, position the horizon high in your picture.

2) For the most complimentary portrait: Shoot at your subject's eye level. For example, the best animal pictures are shot at the animal’s level.

3) Keep the viewer’s eye inside the picture: Select a camera angle where the natural lines of the scene lead the viewer into the picture and toward your main center of interest. You can find such a line in a road, a fence, even a shadow. Diagonal lines are dynamic; curved lines are flowing and graceful. You can often find the right line by moving around and choosing an appropriate angle.

4) Seeing Composition: Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging, uses the concept of a triangle to position the flowers. Most works of art also incorporate the triangle concept of composition The flow of the triangle is visually pleasing because it does not let the eye wander away from the main subject If you look at a photograph or a piece of art that is not composed well, you will find that your eye has trouble finding one thing to rest on, and in some extreme cases your eye wants to actually move out beyond the frame of the picture

5) Select an uncomplicated background: Your background should not compete with your subject. Bright colors, telephone poles, fences and signs create the biggest problems. Be especially aware of what is behind your subject in a portrait so that branches don't accidentally become antlers.

   I know what you are thinking, “If I take the time to do all this I’ll never take a picture.” Like riding a bike, a little practice is necessary. It will only take a few sessions of concentrating on these simple composition rules for them to be ingrained, and your photographs will improve dramatically.

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      Brenda Singh's Award winning Photo - Portofino, Italy

Shooting at eye level
with the subjects

Selecting an uncomplicated
background

Applying the Rule of Thirds

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