Composition

What is Composition?

Before asking ourselves what "composition" and "good composition" are, let us step back and consider the aim of the images we are taking.  In its simplest form we are merely trying to record a memory, at its more complex level we are seeking to tell a story or create a work of art.

As an example, a doting grandmother's attention will be fixed on a picture of a new born grandchild, her attention will be held in order to share that memory.  She has an automatic emotional link to the image and does not care about its artistic merit.   On the other hand, someone outside the family needs to see some artistic merit in the image or some sort of story if it is to hold their attention.  

I suggest that  "good composition" together with technical skills deliver that artistic merit.  They are what changes an image from a snapshot into something worth hanging on the wall for strangers to look at.  This post will consider so called "Rules of Composition".

The first "rule" is that there are no rules.  The rules sometimes contradict each other and sometimes an image that breaks all the rules is successful none the less.  There is no standard list but the following sections introduce guidance I find useful

1. Something to See

A statement of the blindingly obvious but the most important thing to remember is that there has to be a subject, a reason why we want to look at the image, it has to tell a story or be interesting to look at, and stay looking at.

2. Fill the Frame

Filling the frame by zooming in on your subject to exclude elements that would distract from the main subject is particularly useful for portraits but can be applied to any image.

To apply it you need to select the correct lens, stand in the right place and zoom in.  Generally speaking, optical zooming by adjusting the lens (conventional cameras) is preferable to digital zoom (as applied on mobile devices) as digital zoom reduces the amount of data captured.

If all else fails you can crop the image in post production.

3. Don't Chop Bits Off

But do not zoom in so far that you end up cutting off important bits of the image, 

legs, arms, feet etc.  in portraits. Breaking this rule, however, is easy, head and shoulders only are an acceptable portrait composition.  

In this attempt, I encouraged the subjects to move in order to avoid the staid old "shake and hold" presentation shot but I was not fast enough to step back or zoom out when they did react so chopped off an arm which is an integral part of the image.

4. Rule of Thirds

The centre of the screen is not the best place for the subject of your image to be placed.  The eye looks automatically at the centre and then moves away if there is nothing to hold it there. 

To apply the rule of thirds, imagine a grid superimposed on your image.  The strongest points of composition are at the intersection of those lines.  In this image, the figure of a dog is placed on the bottom right intersection and holds your gaze, helped by selective focus.

5.  Frame Your Subject.  

In this next image several guidelines work together.

The trees to the left and right hold your eye and direct it onto the clump of woodland in the distance.  That main subject is probably not strong enough to create an earthmoving shot but it holds you for a moment.

The picture has foreground, mid ground and distant interest and has pleasing colour.

6.  Leading Lines

It also has a path running from the foreground to the subject drawing your eye into the image.  In nature roads, paths, fences work well but you also see leading lines in edges of fields , vegetation, he crown of hills, buildings etc.

7.  Control your depth of field

Having previously advised you to fill the frame with your subject, this rule encourages you to include background detail but to separate it from the main subject by using the depth of field.  This is useful when the background is needed to add context to your image but you do not want it to dominate that image.  (I am not too sure what the story is of a model dog on a dining table  in this example but it illustrates the point.

8.  Use depth in your image

In contrast with the previous rule, this next image uses different levels of depth and keeps them all in focus to add interest.  The composition is strengthened by foreground, middle and distance points of interest.  Coupled with the framing from trees and railings your eye is focused onto the church and you see it in context as a pretty Cotswolds church in a pleasing picturesque environment,

9.  Watch the background

In this portrait of the same couple as in rule 2, there is clutter in the background, bright lights at the top of their heads and vertical edges above them  that look as if they are going to be chopped up. The whole image is therefore spoiled and remains on the cutting room floor unless it can be rescued by intensive post capture editing.

Conclusion

There are no rules that cannot be broken.  These are guidelines that can be applied to suit individual circumstances.  They should be interpreted by you and, at the end of the day, what one person likes might not suit everybody.  Experiment and see what works for you.