Photographic composition

• "There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs."

- Ansel Adams

• Good composition is essential in photography. It allows you to convey messages and emotions

• Instead of looking at composition as a set of ‘rules’ to follow – view it as a set of ingredients that can be taken out of the pantry at any point and used to make a great ‘meal’ (photograph).

• Every photo has a foreground and background

• Use foreground elements to frame your photo's subject

Framing

• Some of the most interesting photographs are taken from a unique angle or perspective.

• Get down to the level of the flowers , climb a tree to take a picture of a meadow!

• Look for angles that are interesting and demonstrate the mood and inspiration you're trying to capture

Angle &Perspective

Ask yourself if the photo would look better taken as a landscape or portrait

• The positioning of elements in a frame can leave an image feeling balanced or unbalanced.

• Too many points of interest in one part of your image can leave it feeling too ‘heavy’ and other parts feeling ‘empty’.

• Space is often desirable

Balance

• Depth of field can isolate a subject from its background and foreground (when using a shallow depth of field) or it can put the same subject in context by revealing it’s surrounds with a wide depth of field.

Depth of Field

• Bright colours can add vibrancy, energy and interest – however in the wrong position they can also distract viewers of an image away from focal points.

• Colours also greatly impact ‘mood’. Blues and Greens can have a calming soothing impact, Reds and Yellows can convey vibrancy add energy etc.

Colour

• Learn the "rule of thirds." As you look through your camera's viewfinder, imagine there are lines dividing the image into thirds, both horizontally and vertically, essentially dividing your image into nine equal-shaped blocks. Frame your subject at one of the intersection points instead of in the centre of the viewfinder

Rule of Thirds

• Lines can be powerful elements in an image.

• They have the power to draw the eye to key focal points in a shot and to impact the ‘feel’ of an image greatly.

• Diagonal, Horizontal, Vertical and Converging lines all impact images differently and should be spotted while framing a shot and then utilized to strengthen it.

Lines

• Images are two dimensional yet with the use of ‘texture’ they can come alive and become almost three 3D

• Texture is best shown when light hits objects at interesting angles.

Texture

• There are patterns all around us if we only learn to see them.

• Emphasizing and highlighting these patterns can lead to striking shots – as can high lighting when patterns are broken.

Pattern