Stop taking pictures and start taking photos.
So what do I mean by this? Picture this, (no pun intended) you may be stood on a beach on the West coast of Scotland with a magnificent sunset in front of you, you grab a few snaps, but when you check your screen the image doesn’t do any justice to the scene in front of you. But remember that just because something looks good in real life, it doesn’t mean that it makes a good photo. So why not zoom in on that sailing ship in the harbour, or focus on that wading bird on the shoreline, and you have now changed that picture to a photo. I have to add that there is nothing wrong with taking pictures, as they will tell a story, but that story may be told better when you have a subject or theme.
Photographers call this composition and is the key to improving your images and getting your photos noticed. Anyone can point a camera at a scene and click the button, but try the following composition tips and see if it makes your images visually more appealing, what have you got to lose.
Fill the frame. Here, the frame refers to the edges of your photograph or the edges of the viewfinder of your camera when you are shooting. The advice to fill the frame means to get in close, to make your subject a significant portion of the final photograph. Get close to your subject, and simplify the background. Get close, crouch down, and photograph your subject against the sky. Photographers tend to leave too much ‘stuff’ around their subject, and the viewer can get lost in the chaos and doesn’t know where to look. Less is often more. A good tip for whether you have filled the frame - does your subject spill out of the frame and beyond the bounds of your photograph?, If so, then you are truly beginning to fill the frame, but just remember to leave some breathing space around the subject.
Rule of thirds. The rule of thirds involves mentally dividing up your image using 2 horizontal lines and 2 vertical lines, as shown in the image below. You then position the important elements in your scene along those lines, or at the points where they meet. The idea is that an off-centre composition is more pleasing to the eye and looks more natural than one where the subject is placed right in the middle of the frame. It also encourages you to make creative use of negative space, the empty areas around your subject. When framing a photo, imagine the scene divided up as above. Think about what elements of the photo are most important, and try to position them at or near the lines and intersections of the grid. They don't have to be perfectly lined up as long as they're close. You may need to move around to get the best composition. This forces you to think more carefully about the shot, and is a good habit to get into whether you're using the rule of thirds or not. To help you out, some cameras have a setting which overlays a rule of thirds grid onto your photo, this removes all guesswork.
Use lead in lines. Lead-in lines are a very clever visual way that can be used to help the viewers’ eye through the scene and give your images a greater sense of depth. For landscape photography there are a range of scenic elements that can be used as lead-in lines including walls, fences, rivers, streams, paths, roads and much more. Ideally a lead-in line should run from the foreground towards a prominent focal point within the image, providing the viewer’s eye with a route to follow through the image. This can help to convey a feeling of depth in a landscape photograph, giving it a more three-dimensional feel. A line that runs directly from one corner of the image can be particularly effective and you’ll find that diagonal lines tend to be strongest. Lead-in lines don’t have to dominate the image – often subtle lines can be more effective. Implied lines, such as shadows, footprints on a sandy beach, a row of boulders and even cloud patterns can make very effective lead-ins. The below image draws your eye along the cliff edge to the lighthouse, a simple lead in line.
Make use of Negative Space. Negative space, sometimes referred to as white space, is a concept that's been used in art, design, architecture, and sculpture for hundreds of years. It's equally useful in photography, and can be used to turn an average photo into an outstanding one. Put simply, negative space is the area which surrounds the main subject in your photo (the main subject is known as the "positive space"). This definition is rather abstract, so take the following example; the castle in the image below is the positive space while the sky is the negative space. Negative space defines and emphasises the main subject of a photo, drawing your eye to it. It provides "breathing room", giving your eyes somewhere to rest and preventing your image from appearing too cluttered with "stuff". All of this adds up to a more engaging composition.
Create a sense of depth. Depth of field (DoF) is the distance between the nearest and furthest elements in a scene that appear to be “acceptably sharp” in an image. The distance between the camera and the first element that is considered to be acceptably sharp is called DoF near limit. When photographing landscapes, it helps to create a sense of depth, in other words, make the viewer feel like they are there. Try and include a foreground feature, rock, person, log, etc. Use a wide-angle lens for a panoramic view and a small aperture of f/16 or smaller to keep the foreground and background sharp. Placing an object or person in the foreground helps give a sense of scale and emphasises how far away the distance is. Use a tripod if possible, as a small aperture usually requires a slower shutter speed.
Use simple backgrounds. The simple approach is usually the best in digital photography, and you have to decide what needs to be in the shot, while not including anything that is a distraction. If possible, choose a plain background, in other words, neutral colours and simple patterns. You want the eye to be drawn to the focal point of the image rather than a patch of colour or an odd building in the background. This is especially vital in a shot where the model is placed off centre. Avoid distractions.
Balancing elements. Placing your main subject off-centre, as with the rule of thirds, creates a more interesting photo, but it can leave a void in the scene which can make it feel empty. You can achieve a balanced composition and even out the main subject's "visual weight" by including another object of lesser importance to fill the space. In the photograph below, the visual "weight" of the summit monument is balanced by the trig point on the other side of the image.
Symmetry and patterns. We are surrounded by symmetry and patterns, both natural and man-made. They can make for very eye-catching compositions, particularly in situations where they are not expected. Another great way to use them is to break the symmetry or pattern in some way, introducing tension and a focal point to the scene. Reflections add an element of symmetry. The symmetry of the image below is replicated left and right, with the reflections adding another dimension.
Viewpoint. Before photographing your subject, take time to think about where you will shoot it from. Our viewpoint has a massive impact on the composition of our photo, and as a result it can greatly affect the message that the shot conveys. Rather than just shooting from eye level, consider photographing from high above, down at ground level, from the side, from the back, from a long way away, from very close up, and so on. In the image below, I was at ground level to try to get eye to eye with the subject, in this case a Mountain Hare in the Peak District.
Frame your subject. There may be occasions where there are features that enable you to frame your subject. These could be branches, trees, bridge arches, shoot through these to add depth and context. In the image below I have used 2 rock stacks left and right to frame the subject, in this case a person.
Break the rules. The above 10 tips are commonly known as composition rules, and sometimes rules are meant to be broken. There may be occasions where none of the above rules apply, and the subject just may lend itself to being smack bang in the middle of the photograph.
Get out of your comfort zone
We all have our own preferred type of photography, whether its landscapes, wildlife, minimalism, street photography, sunsets, etc, but we would encourage you to try something different. I am involved in a bit of a mini monthly competition between several amateur photographers where we have a different theme each month, and some of these themes have certainly taken me out of my comfort zone. Topics can include Birds Eye View, Architecture, Worms Eye View, Sunsets, Woodland, Body parts, Colours, but they certainly get you thinking and you start looking for things, and seeing things in a different way. If you fancy getting involved in our mini competition then get in touch, it’s for a bag of sweets and bragging rights but no sweets have ever changed hands. Local camera clubs run similar competitions, so you could also have a look at joining one. Happy snapping.
“ A picture is worth a thousand words ”
