5 Guidelines for Composition

Composition is one of the most important features of a good photograph. A well-composed photograph is symmetrical, proportionate and well lit; in this sense, composition in photography is similar to "mis en scene" in film. However, composition standards are very high in photography, because photography is an exclusively visual medium. Guidelines for composition are naturally somewhat subjective; however, most photographers agree on a few basic ones. These guidelines are not rules and are not followed by all photographers.

Often, good photographs display some kind of visual pattern. For example, a picture of a cubicle farm can transcend boring office photography and become artistic if the cubicles are arranged in an interesting pattern. There are many different types of patterns. Block patterns are made out of connected or overlapping squares and rectangles. Dot patterns are made up of connected dots. More-intricate geometrical patterns can be made out of all kinds of connected objects, from octagons to intricately arranged TV sets.

Good photographs always have some kind of balance: opposing and complementing colors, symmetrical shapes or a combination of both. Symmetry is the easiest way to achieve balance in a photograph. If you stand in the middle of a railroad with nothing but grass on both sides of it and take a shot, you will have very symmetrical picture. Of course, such a picture would also be fairly boring. A mix of symmetrical shapes with opposing colors can make a picture interesting.

All photographs, good and bad, feature some kind of texture. Many photos feature more than one texture: for example, a picture showing grass, sand and water has three textures in it. It is good to feature multiple, complementary textures in a photograph. For example, the contrast of grass against still water is popular among nature photographers, because it has a strong, jagged versus flat contrast.

A photograph's depth of field is how far away the focal point is from the viewer's point of view. If you are photographing nature shots, aim for a deep depth of field, so that the viewer can see the majestic scenery surrounding the animal or plant in the focal point. If you are taking portrait shots, you should aim for a shallow depth of field, to emphasize the details of the person's facial features. Move the camera's lenses in and out to change the focal point.

Many photographs, but not all photographs, make heavy use of lines. Lines are extremely valuable in photographs because they indicate distance and dept. If you put your camera up against a handrail and take a picture, the viewer will get a sense of the handrail's length by how much narrower it is at the point where it disappears. You can also use lines to emphasize symmetry and color. For example, if one half of an object is blue and the other half is red, a black line down the middle will draw attention to the symmetry and color contrast.

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Some guidelines to apply to your photographs when shooting landscapes.
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