8 Photography Composition Rules Everyone Should Know
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Loading... - Lynne Jameson
- 20 Oct 2022
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Struggling to create stunning compositions? I’ve been there. Composition is a tricky subject to master; some photographers spend years developing their skills with limited success.
Fortunately, creating good compositions isn’t as hard as it might seem. Artists have developed a handful of rules (guidelines, really) that allow you to create balance, flow, impact, and beauty without tons of practice.
In this article, I share my favorite eight photography composition rules – all tried and tested methods for improving your image arrangements. So read through the article. Memorize the rules. And then watch as your photos are transformed!
1. The rule of thirds
The rule of thirds is the most famous compositional rule there is, and for good reason: It really is a great way to produce balanced, dynamic compositions, and it’s pretty easy to master. But how does it work?
The rule of thirds states that you should place your key compositional elements a third of the way into the frame. It even comes with a handy set of gridlines to help you out:
So if you’re photographing a beach sunset scene, instead of putting the horizon line smack-dab in the middle of the frame, you’d want to place it along the upper third or lower third gridline.
And if you’re photographing a cluster of trees in a field, instead of putting the trees in the center of the shot, you’d want to position them a third of the way from the right or left edge.
By the way, if you can position your main subject at the intersection of two gridlines (i.e., a third of the way from two image edges), you’ll get an even more powerful result.
In general, rule-of-thirds compositions feel balanced. But they feel dynamic, not static, which helps the viewer better engage with the shot. Nice, right?
2. Symmetry
Symmetry refers to areas of reflection across the frame. It’s a great way to produce powerful, in-your-face images, the kind that feature lots of tension – though you do need to be careful not to create photos that are a bit too static (see my discussion of the rule of thirds, above!).
You can create vertical symmetry by including subjects that reflect across the horizontal axis, you can create horizontal symmetry by including subjects that reflect across the vertical axis, and you can create diagonal symmetry by including subjects that reflect across a diagonal. Any of these options can work, though each effect will give you a different result, so I encourage you to experiment and see what you think.
The toughest part about using symmetry is actually finding symmetrical subjects. Bear in mind, however, that you can still create a symmetrical effect by featuring roughly – but not perfectly – symmetrical elements. Read More…
