There are many composition rules within photography that help look an image look professional, you always need to consider these when taking photographs.
The rule of thirds
This is basic photography and can even be seen in modern smartphones, a grid is placed onto the screen consisting of two horizontal and vertical lines meaning there are 9 equal sized sections. The aim of the rule of thirds is to get the important element of thew image either on the lines or where they cross.
Balancing Elements
When taking a photo using the rule of thirds you will sometimes realise that there is a large portion of the image that looks empty, if you fill that space with something else, it will make the photo seem more interesting.
Leading Lines
Lines within images are great because we are naturally drawn to them, so as a photographer you can use this to your advantage by allowing the lines to lead to the focus of the image.
Symmetry & Patterns
As human beings we find beauty in symmetry, as found in a New Mexico State University study which “utilises a program called FacePrints, which shows viewers facial images of variable attractiveness. The viewers then rate the pictures on a beauty scale from one to nine. In what is akin to digital Darwinism, the pictures with the best ratings are merged together, while the less attractive photos are weeded out. Each trial ends when a viewer deems the composite a 10. All the perfect 10s are super-symmetric.” By taking advantage of this in photography, you can create beautiful images.
Viewpoint
Placing importance on the angles we take our images from is a good skill to learn as it can lead to some more abstract pictures. When taking an image I should take note of what angles I could take the shots at, be that with height, distance etc.
Background
If an image has a background that has a lot going going on, it will distract from the focus of the image,simply changing an angle and getting a plain background can help the focus of the image stand out.
Depth of Field
To create an image with a great sense of depth, you must understand the elements of a foreground, mid ground and background. These can create a feel of scale and depth by itself. By using objects in each section for the depth, it will allow the viewer to understand the scale much better. You can also create an element of depth by blurring the background, this can be done by
Framing
You can create a natural frame within an image, placing certain objects around the edge of the image you create a focused image which will draw the attention to the part of the image with most importance.
Cropping
Cropping is a very important tool to use as a photographer as it allows you to delete unwanted details to reduce noise, making sure the focus of the image is all the viewer can see.
References:
http://www.photographymad.com/pages/view/10-top-photography-composition-rules
http://legacy.jyi.org/volumes/volume6/issue6/features/feng.html
Featured Image -http://designyoutrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/photography-rules-are-made-to-be-broken-1.jpg
akbrodie.wordpress.com 