composition basics of photography by saleha imtiaz

1. Saleha imtiaz
Photography Composition Techniques

2. Photography composition is not
something that depends on your camera
or lens. It doesn’t matter if you own the
most expensive camera.
It’s all about knowing the rules of
composition and apply them as you need.
Or even break them!

3. Rules of composition
I made a list of the main photography
composition rules you should learn.
• Rule of space
• Rule of thirds
• Leading lines
• Foreground Interest
• Sense of scale
• Viewpoint

4. Rule of space:
• This rule states that if the subject is not looking directly
to the camera, or looks out of the frame, there should
be enough space for the subject to look into. This
technique creates intrigue in the minds of the viewers.
• You need to learn how to control the distribution of
space in your images.
• You can divide space into positive and negative space.
• The negative space in photography is the space that
surrounds the main subject. The main subject is known
as the positive space.

5. • Take a look at the image.
• The cat is placed on the right
side of the image because of
the rule of space.
• Look at the image again, and
think about where you look
first. You looked at the cat.
• Where did you look second?
Most likely, you looked in the
direction that cat was looking
to see what he was looking
at, and because nothing is
there, your eye gravitated
back to the cat.

6. • Take a look at this
photograph. Take a
mental note of where
your eyes enter the
image, where they move
second, third and so on.
Let’s see if I can predict
how your eye will move
around this picture.

8. Rule of thirds:
• The basic principle behind the rule of thirds is to
imagine breaking an image down into thirds (both
horizontally and vertically) so that you have 9 parts.
As follows.

9. • The theory is that if you place points of
interest in the intersections or along the lines
that your photo becomes more balanced and
will enable a viewer of the image to interact
with it more naturally.
• Studies have shown that when viewing images
that people’s eyes usually go to one of the
intersection points most naturally rather than
the center of the shot – using the rule of
thirds works with this natural way of viewing
an image rather than working against it.

11. Leading lines:
• Leading lines are one of the most fundamental
elements in photography. I really like playing with them
and give me a real sense of control over my
composition.
• By guiding the viewer’s eye through the image from
one part to the scene to the other and allowing it to
rest on the main subject, they help to create a strong
visual impact.
• A pathway, for example, will lead the eye towards the
horizon or towards the subject in the background. At
the same time, it creates depth in the image.

12. • Almost everywhere in nature, you can find
leading lines. Roads, rivers, shorelines, sand
dunes, bridges, and so forth.
• Look for diagonal lines and once you’ve found
them, you’ll need to decide how to use them. If
you have a main subject, try to place it near the
end of the lines or if you’re shooting a landscape,
then connect the foreground to the background
with those lines and create that strong sense of
perspective that will make the image more
appealing by creating a visual journey.

14. Foreground interest:
• This will give the image that 3D effect often missing.
When you are outdoors immersed in nature and
experience a beautiful view, you’ll need to be able to
translate all that to a 2-dimensional medium, and you
need ways of communicating depth to the viewer.
• You need to use it with care since you don’t want your
foreground to become the main subject, but at the
same time, you want it to be impactful enough to make
the image more interesting. So you’ll need to find
something that’s eye-catching and enhance the overall
value of the composition.

16. Sense of scale:
• Add compositional elements of known size
to your space to provide a sense of scale
in the picture and give the viewer a point
of reference to better understand how
small or big things are in the scene.
Without a point of reference, the viewer’s
eye won’t be able to grasp the size of an
object, a waterfall, a tree, or a mountain.

18. Viewpoint
• Your viewpoint can have a huge impact on the final
image.
• By changing your viewpoint, your photo will not only
gain a more appealing composition, but it can also help
you stand out from other images taken at the same
location.
• To control the type of message you want your image to
convey, try to change your angle. Instead of shooting
from eye level, try to go down low at ground level, or
from above try a closeup or various angles and see
how the mood of the image changes dramatically.