Digital Photography Composition

Tips
1K+Over the years we’ve published many
composition tips for photographers. Here are a
selection of some of the more popular ones.

Composition Tips
 The Rule of Thirds
 Working the Lines in Your
Photography (how to use horizontal,
vertical and diagonal lines)
 Finding Fresh Angles to Shoot From
 Photographing Children – Composition
 Getting Horizons Horizontal
 Getting Images Straight
 Fill Your Frame
 The Importance of Focal Points
 Creating Active Space – Photographing Moving Subjects
 Getting Backgrounds Right
 Framing Your Shots
 How to Use Converging Lines to Enhance Your Photography
 4 Rules of Composition for Landscape Photography
 How to Break the ‘Rules’ of Photography

We are constantly updating our site with new tips on composition and other related photographic
topics. Keep up to date with our new tips and tutorials by subscribing to DPS.

Rule of Thirds
The Rule of Thirds is perhaps the most well-known ‘rule’ of photographic composition.
The “Rule of Thirds” one of the first things that budding digital photographers learn about in
classes on photography and rightly so as it is the basis for well balanced and interesting shots.
I will say right up front however that rules are meant to be broken and ignoring this one doesn’t
mean your images are necessarily unbalanced or uninteresting. However a wise person once told
me that if you intend to break a rule you should always learn it first to make sure your breaking
of it is all the more effective!

What is the 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.

As you’re taking an image you would have done this in your mind through your viewfinder or in
the LCD display that you use to frame your shot.
With this grid in mind the ‘rule of thirds’ now identifies four important parts of the image that
you should consider placing points of interest in as you frame your image.
Not only this – but it also gives you four ‘lines’ that are also useful positions for elements in your
photo.

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.
In addition to the above picture of the bee where the bee’s eye becomes the point of focus here
are some of examples:
Another Rule of Thirds Example
In this image I’ve purposely placed the head of my subject on one of the intersecting points –
especially his eyes which are a natural point of focus for a portrait. His tie and flower also take
up a secondary point of interest.

In this shot I’ve placed the subject along a whole line which means she is considerably off center
and therefore creating an additional point of interest. Placing her right in the center of the frame
could have resulted in an ‘awkward’ shot.
In a similar way a good technique for landscape shots is to position horizons along one of the
horizontal lines also as I’ve done with the following shot (I’ll let you imagine the lines).
 Using the Rule of Thirds comes naturally to some photographers but for many of us takes a little
time and practice for it to become second nature.
In learning how to use the rule of thirds (and then to break it) the most important questions to be
asking of yourself are:

 What are the points of interest in this shot?

 Where am I intentionally placing them?

Once again – remember that breaking the rule can result in some striking shots – so once you’ve
learnt it experiment with purposely breaking it to see what you discover.
Lastly – keep the rule of thirds in mind as you edit your photos later on. Post production editing
tools today have good tools for cropping and reframing images so that they fit within the rules.
Experiment with some of your old shots to see what impact it might have on your photos.

Working the Lines in your

Photography
When considering the composition of an image one of the elements that I suggest digital camera
owners look for are ‘Lines’.
The lines that can be found in images are very powerful elements that with a little practice can
add dynamic impact to a photograph in terms of mood as well as how they lead an image’s
viewer into a photo.
Over the next few posts I’ll consider four types of lines, ‘horizontal‘, ‘vertical‘, ‘diagonal‘ and
‘converging‘ lines. Each one has a different impact upon a photograph and should be looked for
as you frame your shots.
Learning how to use lines in photography doesn’t just happen. It takes time and practice to
become good at it.
A good way to practice is to go back through older images that you’ve taken and look for lines
that worked well and those that didn’t.
Then next time you go out with your camera, before you frame your shot consciously ask
yourself what lines are in front of you and how you might use them to add something to your
next shot by working with them rather than against them.
Also ask yourself whether the lines form any interesting patterns that you might be able to
accentuate to add a further layer of interest to the shot.

Using Horizontal Lines in

Photography
This tip builds on the previous one on Working the Lines in your Photography.
There’s something about a horizontal line in an image that conveys a message of ‘stability’ or
even ‘rest’. Horizons, fallen trees, oceans, sleeping people – all of these subjects have something
about them that speaks either of permanency and timelessness or rest.
Horizons are the most common horizontal line to be found in photographs and they often act as a
dividing point in a photograph – in effect an anchor that the rest of the image is formed around.
If you want to accentuate the calming stable impact of a horizon one effective technique to use is
to shoot your images with horizontal framing (with the longest part of your cameras frame from
left to right.
Alternatively if you want to reemphasize horizontal lines shoot with you camera in a vertical
framing.
 Ke
ep in mind that unbroken horizons can often lead to a photograph feeling somewhat static or dull
and a good strategy is to use other shapes in the landscape you’re photograph to break things up
and give a point of interest (mountains, trees, buildings etc).
Horizons should generally not be placed in the middle of your frame. This leaves an image
feeling unsettled compositionally. A much more effective technique is to place them in the upper
or lower third of your frame.
Layers of horizontal lines can create rhythm or patterns in an image that can become the focus of
an image in and of itself.
Breaking horizontal lines up with an object or intersecting vertical lines can also create interest.
Lastly work hard to keep your Horizontal lines horizontal and square with the edges of your
images frame. There’s nothing more frustrating that viewing a picture that is slightly off centre.
Now it’s time to talk about Vertical Lines.

Using Vertical Lines in Photography

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This tip builds on the previous one on Working the Lines in your Photography.

By Michelangelo Carrieri
Vertical lines have the ability to convey a variety of different moods in a photograph ranging
from power and strength (think of skyscrapers) to growth (think of trees).
Vertical Lines by François Pham on 500px
As horizontal lines can be accentuated by shooting in horizontal format vertical lines can be used
very effectively by swapping the way you hold your camera into a vertical framing. This
lengthens the vertical subject further which can emphasize it’s height.
By koeb
The other option is to break this rule and frame your vertical subject horizontally which will give
it the sense that your image can’t contain it (quite effective if the vertical lines are very strong).
Once again it’s important to attempt to keep your vertical lines as much in line with the sides of
your image as possible. This is not always possible if you’re shooting looking up an image as the
subject will taper off towards the top – but attempt to keep it’s center as straight as possible and
you should be ok.
By tkamenick
Keep in mind the Rule of Thirds when you have strong vertical lines in a photograph. Placing a
line directly in the middle of a shot will effectively cut your image in half. This can be used with
dramatic impact but also can leave your image looking segmented.
Verticality. by Laurence Penne on 500px
Keep an eye out for vertical lines that are repeated in patterns in your images as they can be used
to great impact – particularly if they are contrasted with other shapes and lines going in different
directions.

Using Diagonal Lines in

Photography
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This tip builds on the previous one on Working the Lines in your Photography.
By Angie Harms
Diagonal lines generally work well to draw the eye of an image’s viewer through the photograph.
They create points of interest as they intersect with other lines and often give images depth by
suggesting perspective.
shadows and rails by David Pavlovic Dobrojevic on 500px
They can also add a sense of action to an image and add a dynamic looks and feel.
Dada by Martin Zvonár on 500px
Consider how you might use diagonal lines to lead the eye to your photograph’s main subject or
point of interest.
Downstairs by Carlo Cafferini on 500px
Different studies have been done into how people view images and many of them say that a
natural way into an image is by traveling left to right and so a diagonal line starting at the bottom
left and moving to the top right of an image can be quite useful and natural.
Lonely Path by José António Fernandes Almeida on 500px

Of course you wouldn’t want to split your image into two with a harsh line from corner to corner
– rather look for for patterns and curves between shapes that might do this naturally.
Also rather than making a line go from the very corner to the opposite corner it’s often good to
make them off centre and go to either side of corners.

By Pierre Metivier
Keep in mind that numerous diagonal lines leading in different directions and intersecting with
one another can add a sense of action to your photo but adding too many diagonal lines might
make it chaotic and confusing.
As with both horizontal and vertical lines – diagonal lines that are repeated through out an image
can create very effective patterns that can easily become the subject of a photograph themselves.
A recently ploughed field or the ridges on a sand dune might be good examples of this –
although technically this is probably more ‘converging lines‘ (another way to use lines in
images).
Lonely by John Purchase on 500px

How to Use Converging Lines to

Enhance Your Photography
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This is the last in our series of posts on working with lines in photography which we highly
recommend you check out.

By Steve Coleman
When framing a landscape shot one of the types of environmental features that many
photographers look for and like to incorporate in their shots is converging lines.
We’ve talked previously about how lines have the potential to add interest to an image – but
multiple lines that converge together (or come close to one another) can be a great technique to
lead your viewers eye into a shot.
Perhaps the classic example (and one that’s probably been overdone) of converging lines are
railway tracks.
Into the light by Jaewoon U on 500px
Position yourself in the middle of two tracks (after taking a look at what might be coming from
behind of course) and you’ll see the two tracks on either side of you appear to get closer and
closer together as they go into the distance.
Note: we don’t really recommend taking shots on tracks in this way. Safety first!
Take this shot and the natural reaction for those looking at the scene will be for them to follow
the lines off into the distance. In a sense the two lines act like a funnel which directs the gaze of
those entering them in a certain direction.
The same effect can be achieved with roads or pathways, converging fence lines, a set of stairs,
power lines or virtually any other lines that run parallel into the distance or that actually
converge at some point.
Road into the Desert by Rick Parchen on 500px

4 Tips Regarding Converging Lines

1. Experiment with Positioning – the classic railway line/road shot described above has many
possibilities. One is to position the tracks dead center and symmetrically in the shot.
Another positioning would be to step to one side of the tracks and let them run diagonally
through your frame from a lower corner to the opposite upper corner. The beauty of this is that
you’ll end up with a more dynamic shot. Symmetrical and vertical placement of the lines can be
powerful but diagonal lines tend to convey movement.
Alternatively stepping away from the start of the lines can give another perspective – as can
holding your camera on an angle to give another diagonal framing of the lines.
2. Wide Angle Lenses – different lenses can totally change the impact of a shot with converging
lines. I find that a wide angle lens can be particularly useful – especially when positioning
yourself between the two lines.
This will help to give the perception that the distance between the lines at the starting point of the
image is wider than it is. This exaggeration of the width of your lines can have a powerful impact
upon your shot.
As you’re framing your shot ask yourself – ‘where is the most effective position to frame this?”
Friend Ship by Joe Plasmatico on 500px
3. Positioning the ‘convergence’ – one thing to consider when you have converging lines in an
image is that they draw the eye into a shot – towards the point that they converge – this becomes
one of the most important parts of this image – a focal point.
Convergence Flakstad by Ian Cameron on 500px
Keep in mind rules like the Rule of Thirds that says that the intersecting points of imaginary
lines a third of the way into an image are key points for positioning points of interest. This can be
a good place to let your converging lines lead (although breaking this rule can be powerful too)
Also know that if the point of convergence is outside the frame of the shot that you are leading
the eye out of your shot. This could leave a shot unbalanced and with tension – alternatively it
could enhance the shot and leave your viewers wondering about the place that they converge.
4. Adding Interest at the Point of Convergence – Sometimes it is worth enhancing the point of
convergence with something of interest (for example waiting until a train appears in the distance
on the tracks – or positioning a person at the top of stairs) – on other occasions the composition
of the shot is strong enough without adding an extra subject.

FocuseD On ME by Guillaume Rio on 500px

If you’ve got some examples of converging lines in images that you’ve taken I’d love to see
them over at the DPS forums – either in the How I took It or Critique My Shotsections.
Here are a few more Converging Lines shots to illustrate the point and hopefully give a little
inspiration.
Finding Fresh Angles to Shoot From
– Digital Photography Composition
Tip
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One of the most effective ways to make your digital images more interesting to the eye is to
change the angle that you’re shooting from.
Let me use an illustration of a couple of pictures I took of a big pineapple (don’t ask – it’s an
Australian thing).

In my opinion the first picture

is more interesting than the
second. While the second one
might be good for putting the
big pineapple in context of it’s
surroundings and giving an
accurate picture of ‘how big’ it
is – I’m much more likely to
get a ‘wow’ factor using the
first one (although it’s by no
means a brilliant shot for other
reasons).
There are a number of
differences between these
pictures in terms of
composition. For starters the
first is closer and fills the frame (I’ll write about this in a future post) but for the purposes of this
composition tip I want to talk about the angle that I shot the two shots from.
The second shot is taken by me standing some distance from the pineapple as I approached it. In
the first shot I got much closer and crouched down to accentuate my smallness and the
pineapple’s bigness. I could have gone a step further and lay down on the ground to shoot it for
even greater impact.
Not only does changing the angle that you shoot from impact the feeling of size of your subject
but it can have a real effect upon the light and shade and patterns on it. You can see in the picture
on the left that the patterns on the pineapple are more pronounced as a result of the angle I shot it
from.
 Ideas for New Angles
The variety of perspectives that you can shoot images from is only limited by your imagination.
In addition to standing in front of your subject you might like to try:

 lying or crouching in front of it

 climbing above it
 putting the camera on the ground and chancing it (some cameras with swing out LCD displays
make this particularly easy as you can frame your shots rather than chancing it)
I’m not finished yet with this topic – in the days ahead I’ll post about finding new angles to shoot
portraits from and then one on photographing children. Stay tuned for more.

Photographing Children –
Composition
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Check out our new eBook – CLICK! How to
Take Beautiful Photos of Your Kids
I thoroughly enjoy photographing children and have opportunity to do quite a bit of it lately after
many of our friends have had babies.
Probably the most important tip I’ve learned in photographing them is to get on their level. So
many of my friends show me photos of their kids which are taken from 4 or so feet above the
child which does nothing but dwarf them and make them look almost toy-like.
Getting on your hands and knees or crouching down before you take a shot of a child takes you
into their world and helps you to engage with them through the images you take.
Photographing Babies

Babies are particularly difficult to photograph because they are so immobile. I find that one of
the best ways to get good shots of them is to put them on a baby rug and too literally lie down
next to them with your camera right on the floor. In this way you’re looking directly into their
big beautiful eyes and it puts the viewer of the photo in the unique perspective of an eye to eye
place. If the child has the ability to lift it’s head the effects can be amazing as you almost find
yourself looking UP into their eyes.

Photographing Older Children

The same principle of getting down low applies
with older children although you do have a little
less lying on the floor with them when they are
at an age of walking.
I particularly find that with older children the
best time to photograph them is when they are
doing something that they enjoy. Go to the park
with them and their parents, visit their house
when they are painting pictures, get them to take
you on a tour of their room or take them out to play their favorite sport.
While they are doing their activity hover around (at their level) and take plenty of shots. Also
include shots with them and their parents and keep an eye open for those candid moments when
they fall over, do funny expressions or ham it up for the camera.
If your camera has a continuous shooting mode it might also be worth keeping that on with
bigger kids who tend to move around more. As I look back at the times I’ve done this it’s quite
interesting to see that it’s often the second or third shot in a sequence that is best. Shooting just
one frame at a time can mean you miss these golden opportunities.
Another benefit of continuous shooting is that you can end up with a great series of shots that
might go nicely together to tell a story (see below).
Change your Focal Length

Another great way to change the angles of your shots when photographing kids is to use different
focal lengths. If you’re using a DSLR it might be worth investing in a couple of different lenses
(a wide angle one and a longer zoom) to give you different options. If you’re using a point and
shoot (most of which have at least a 3x Optical Zoom) make sure you use it.
Taking pictures with a wide angle focal length can be particularly effective when getting in close
to children. It opens up the angles and gives all kinds of interesting perspectives. I use a 17-
40mm zoom lens on my DSLR which is brilliant for this. It still allows me to zoom in a little but
at 17mm the impact is amazing.
A zoom lens allows you to take photos from further afield and will particularly be useful if the
child is distracted by you taking photos. I use a 70-200mm zoom (the third image above was
taken with it) which I find very useful.
Have Fun
Lastly, the key to good kid shots is to rediscover your own inner child. Kids love to have fun,
they do the unexpected, they love to experiment and test things out and they love to play.
Approach photographing them in this spirit and you’ll find your pictures take on a wonderful
childlike quality.

Getting Horizons Horizontal

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One of the first ever tips I was given when I began taking photos as a teenager was to watch the
horizon when framing a photograph.
The day after I was given this tip I went back through all of my photo albums (I was using film
cameras back then) and discovered that a fairly large proportion of the images I’d been taking
looked a little like this one.

While there is a lot to like about the above picture there’s an obvious mistake with it when you
know what to look for. The roof of the building is crooked (sloping down to the left). While this
might actually be the case in real life (it is an old building) the problem goes further when you
look at the place where the water meets the sky.
Oceans don’t slope upwards (even though there is some hills in the background of this picture).
When I took this photo I was so concerned with getting the colors right (I’ll write about
polarizing filters another day) that I completely forgot to look at the horizon and make sure that
it was level.
This is an elementary mistake that many photographers make. It has the ability to spoil otherwise
brilliant shots.
Of course at times you might want to experiment with holding your camera at different kinds of
angles and put your horizon purposely offline my rule of thumb is to either make it perfectly flat
or very obviously off line. ‘Slightly’ off horizontal does nothing except make your photos
viewers feel dizzy or lean their heads when they view your shots.

How to Get Your Horizons Straight

The simplest way to get your horizon horizontal simply line it up with the top or bottom of your
view finder. Keep in mind that the edge of your frame in your viewfinder or LCD screen will be
the edges of the actual image and will be the reference point for the eventual viewers of your
shots to work out whether your shot is straight or not.
Many cameras also have markers in their view finder (often a rectangle or set of focussing
spots). These can often be used to help line up your horizons mid frame.
Some cameras have a ‘rule of thirds’ mode where they overlay a grid
in your LCD/viewfinder to show you where to place your points of
interest. While they’re not intended to help you get your images
stright – they can be helpful markers to show you where a level line
is.
Lastly, if you’re struggling with getting horizons straight consider
buying a small spirit level. You’ve probably seen builders use big
ones (they have a little bubble in them to show you when something
is straight). You can also get little ones to attach to your camera that
work similarly. For example Adorama sell a “Adorama Single Bubble Level (pictured
above/right) for this purpose.
PS: a lot of photo editing software these days comes with a ‘straighten’ or ‘rotate’ feature so if
this tip has made you go back through your old photos and you’ve shots that are crooked you
might want to learn how to use these tools. I use iPhoto and ‘fixed’ the above shot in less than 5
seconds (see below).
Getting your Images Straight –
Watch your Lines
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In my last post I talked about making sure your landscape photos have horizontal horizons but
they are not the only type of photograph that can look offline.
Another common mistake in all kinds of photography is other crooked lines.
For example take a look at this photograph that friend took of me recently (yep that’s what I look
like).

One of the things that is wrong with this shot (and I won’t totally dissect it here) is that the base
if the window behind me slopes downward to the left. While I do live in an older style house I
know that that windowsill is even and my friend was obviously holding the camera slightly
crookedly when the shot was taken.
Some people viewing the photo will not notice this mistake but others will (either consciously or
subconsciously) and it does spoil the image a little.

The same principle applies to many other types of photographs. Another common type is shots of
building which in most cases are built to be level and have lots of straight lines. Take for
example this shot of an archway in a European art gallery.
While it is often difficult to get all the lines perfectly straight when taking a shot of a building
looking up (you’ll find unless you’re perfectly straight on and at a height that is even with the
middle of the building that your vertical lines will taper towards the top) this shot is obviously
off line if you look at how the bottom of the painting slopes towards the right in comparison to
the bottom edge of the view finder.
While the tapering effect would have remained the image would have been vastly improved with
the camera straightened slightly.
So the rule of thumb – unless you’re going for real effect (and if you are, angle the camera on a
greater angle than above) take a moment before you take your shots to ask yourself a question
about what lines there are in your view finder.
Don’t just consider the horizon but also look at other horizontal lines and the vertical lines. Use
the edges on the edges of your view finder as a gauge and once you’ve got them lined up make
sure you don’t move around too much and you’ll be much more likely to get things right.

Fill Your Frame

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I’m constantly amazed by how the most simple photography techniques produce the most
effective results.
One such lesson that I always start new photographers off with is among the simplest you’ll ever
find:

Fill your Frame

Time and time again I’m approached by people to look at their photos and time and time again
I’m amazed that people continue to take shots where you almost have to squint to make out their
subjects because they are so distant.
While empty spaces can be used effectively in photos to create stunning results (we’ll cover this
in a future tip) you’re much more likely to get a ‘wow’ from those looking at your photos if your
shots are filled with interest.
People
This technique is particularly important when
taking pictures of people whose facial features
tend to disappear when you move more than a
few meters away from them.
While it can be appropriate to take shots that put
a person in context with the environment that
they are in, if they get lost in the picture you
might as well just take a shot of the scene and
leave them out of it.
Here’s an example of this applied with a couple
of shots that I took at the Australian Open, a
couple of years apart.
In the first year I only had a little point and shoot camera with me which meant despite being in
the front row the following was as close as I could get with it’s 3x Optical Zoom lens.
This year I had my DSLR with me and was shooting with a 200mm lens.
I also spent less time shooting in the larger courts and more time on outside courts where I could
get in much closer to the action physically.
The difference in the quality of shots was remarkable.
This was mainly due to the use of the DSLR and better quality lenses, but it was also a vast
improvement due to the fact that I was able to fill my frame with the players.
Shots came alive with rippling muscles, grimaces on faces and even sweat spraying off players
as they hit balls.
Here’s a couple of shots to compare with the one to the left.

Still Life
Having said that filling your frame is important when photographing people, it’s also a very
effective technique when photographing ‘things’ or scenes. I learned this lesson on my first trip
to Europe a number of years back when on returning I was surprised to find that the shots that
got the biggest reactions from people were not the shots that I thought were technically the best
shots.
Instead what people responded to were shots that I’d taken on the run in market place situations
by putting my little point and shoot digital camera up close to food. While many of the shots
were poorly framed, badly exposed and had little planning – they were the shots people ‘ooohed’
and ‘aaahed’ about. Here’s two of them.

So how do you fill your frame?

You’ve largely got three options:

1. Use your Optical Zoom – most point and shoot digital cameras these days come with a zoom
lens and all DSLRs are able to be fitted with one. Use them.
2. Use your Legs – most photographers have a built in zoom in the form of their legs. Don’t just
rely upon your cameras zoom but actually position yourself effectively for close in shots.
3. Crop your Shots – the other option is to zoom in manually at home after you’ve taken your
shots. This is a handy option to have but I personally prefer to use one of the first two options
where I can because cropping shots later means if you want a large image that you’ll find that
it becomes more pixelated. This is a good option if you’re just trimming shots but any major
cropping will result in a loss of quality of your image.
Digital Zooms – Another option that many digital camera owners use is to utilize their ‘digital
zoom’. Most digital cameras these days have boast about having digital zooms but don’t tell you
that to use them will decrease the quality of your shots in a similar way that cropping your shots
can. In essence a digital zoom fills your frame by increasing the size of pixels in your shots when
can leave you with a grainy impact. I would highly recommend switching off your digital zoom
feature and relying upon option 1 and 2 above. If you still need to get in closer you can always
crop your shots and achieve the same results as using your digital zoom.
Using Focal Points in Photography
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By Robert Parviainen
Next time you take your digital camera out and line it up for a shot pause before you press the
shutter button and ask yourself:
“What is the Focal Point in this Picture?”
Some other ways to ask the same question might include – What is the central point of interest?
What will draw the eye of the viewers of this picture? What in this image will make it stand out
from others? What is my subject?
The reason a focal point is important is that when you look at an image your eye will generally
need a ‘resting place’ or something of interest to really hold it. Without it you’ll find people will
simply glance at your shots and then move on to the next one.
Once you’ve identified a point of interest or focal point you then should ask yourself how you
can enhance it.

6 Techniques to Enhance the Focal Point in an

Image
 A focal point can be virtually anything ranging from a person, to a building, to a mountain, to a
flower etc. Obviously the more interesting the focal point the better – but there are other things
you can do to enhance it’s power including but certainly not limited to:

 Position – Place it in a prominent position – you might want to start with the rule of thirdsfor
some ideas.
 Focus – Learn to use Depth of Field to blur out other aspects in front or behind your focal point.
 Blur – If you really want to get tricky you might want to play with slower shutter speeds if your
main subject is still and things around it are moving.
 Size – making your focal point large is not the only way to make it prominent – but it definitely
can help.
 Color – using contrasting colors can also be a way of setting your point of interest apart from it’s
surroundings.
 Shape – similarly contrasting shapes and textures can make a subject stand out – especially
patterns that are repeated around a subject.
Keep in mind that a combination of above elements can work well together.
Lastly – don’t confuse the viewer with too many competing focal points which might overwhelm
the main focal point. Secondary points of interest can be helpful to lead the eye but too many
strong ones will just clutter and confuse.

Create Active Space In Your

Photography
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A number of weeks ago I wrote a tip on the portrait photography composition technique
of Giving Your Subject Space to Look Into. A similar tip for action photography is to give
moving subjects space to ‘move into’.
Some call the space in front of a moving subject the ‘active space‘ in a photograph.
Alternatively the space behind your subject is often called ‘dead space’.
The reason that this compositional technique is used is that when someone views an image and
spots that your subject is moving in a direction – their eye naturally moves in that direction too.
It’s quite instinctive.
Working with the way your viewer will instinctively view your image helps to create balance,
drama and anticipation in your shot.
This technique of creating active spaces in action shots can be applied in many types of
photography including sports (cars, bikes, people etc), wildlife (photographing a running animal)
or virtually any other subject matter that is moving.
Note: Of course as with every rule there are times to break this one – but in general I find that it
works well. Here’s an example of a time when it’s actually good to break the rule.

9 Tips for Getting Backgrounds

Right
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 Photo by igglybwiggs
Backgrounds present both opportunities and challenges to photographers. On the one hand they
can put a subjects in context and make it stand out in a way that highlights it wonderfully – but
on the other hand backgrounds can overwhelm subjects and distract from them.
Some of the common problems that photographers have with backgrounds include:

 Distracting Focal Points – we’ve all seen this happen – we line up a shot of a friend to take as a
portrait and just as we press the shutter someone else pops their head up over their shoulder with
a silly face. The result is that the real focal point of the shot becomes the face pulling person.
This is an extreme example of distracting focal points in the background but it’s something that
happens quite a lot.
 Protruding Elements from Subjects Heads – I nearly didn’t include this one but it’s so
common that I just had to mention it. When shooting a portrait one of the common mistakes is
for some background element to look like it’s sticking up out of a person’s head – like a horn.
It’s often trees (as in the photo to the left) but could be anything. These shots can be quite
comical but can also really throw the composition of a shot off.
 Competing Lines – if your subject has lines in it and your background also has strong lines they
can compete in such a way that the image becomes busy or so that the lines clash with one
another.

9 Strategies for Dealing with Distracting Backgrounds

1. Check your Background Before Hitting the
Shutter Release
Ok – this strategy isn’t rocket science, in fact you’d think it almost goes without saying – but
unfortunately it doesn’t and many of the mistakes that I see in photographs could have been
avoided simply by checking the background before taking the shot and taking some sort of
evasive action.
Always scan the background of your shots before taking a shot. Look for colors that don’t fit
with the rest of the image, bright patches that might distract the eye, lines that clash, people that
don’t belong etc.

2. Move Your Subject

This is once again a fairly simple technique but is probably the first thing you should consider.
Quite often asking a portrait subject to take a step to the left or right will fix things either by
putting the distraction behind them or by putting it out of frame.

Photo by alterednate

3. Change your Shooting Angle

If you have distracting elements in the background of a shot but can’t move your subject another
strategy is to move yourself and shoot from a new angle. This might mean rotating around your
subject but could also include getting down low to make the sky the background or even getting
up high and shooting down onto your subject to make the background the ground.

4. Using Aperture to Blur Backgrounds

One of the most useful things to learn as a way to combat distractions in backgrounds (and
foregrounds) is to use the power of your lens to throw the background out of focus using depth of
field. What you’re trying to achieve with this technique is a nice blurred background where you
can’t really make out what’s going on there.
The easiest way to do this is to use a wide aperture (the smaller the number the wider the
aperture). The wider your aperture the more blurry your background should become.
The quickest way to see the impact of this strategy is to switch your camera into aperture priority
mode and to take a number of shots at different apertures. Start with an aperture of f/20 and work
your way down – one stop at a time. Once you get down to under f/4 you’ll start seeing the
background in your shots getting blurrier and blurrier.

5. Using Focal Length to Blur Backgrounds

Another way to help get your backgrounds nice and blurry is to use a lens with a long focal
length. Longer tele-photo do help a little to get narrower depth of field (although the amount is
less than many think). In actual fact the impact is smaller than it seems and the main reason for
the change is that with a longer focal length the subject actually takes up more space in the
frame. Lots of arguments have been had over whether focal length impacts this – you can read
more about it here andhere – I’ll leave it to the experts to discuss the finer points but will say that
using longer focal lengths does seem to have some impact and is worth experimenting with.

6. Place Subjects In front of Open Spaces

Placing your subject a long way in front of other objects will also help to make those objects
more blurry. For example if you have the choice between shooting your subject standing right in
front of a brick wall or standing in front of an open field – the open field shot will have a much
more blurred background simply because the brick wall is just centimeters from your subject and
inside the focal range whereas an open field stretches off into the distance where everything will
be out of focus.

7. Fill your frame with your subject

One of the most effective ways of removing distractions from backgrounds is to remove the
background altogether by totally filling the frame with your subject. Get up close and/or use your
zoom lens to tightly frame the shot and you’ll not only remove distractions but could end up with
a high impact shot as well.
Photo by Keith Morris

8. Make your Own Background

Sometimes there just isn’t any suitable background and so you might want to consider making
your own. This could range from buying a purpose built studio background or simply buying
some cloth to do the job for you.
I know of one keep photographer who goes out shooting photographic portraits and carries large
colored sheets of card with him to put up on walls to act as a background.
The other thing to keep in mind is that in many instances you can move things around in the
background of your shots (especially if you’re shooting indoors). For example I was recently
photographed in my home for a newspaper and the photographer had me move a number of
pieces of furniture during the shoot because they were distracting in the shots. It took a little
effort but the impact in the shots was quite incredible.

9. Post Processing
I’m no expert in using photo editing software but there are numerous ways of editing a shot after
you’ve taken it to get rid of distracting elements. These can include blurring techniques, actual
removing of elements and replacing them and techniques such as selective coloring (ie making
your subject stand out by making your background black and white (or at least sucking some of
the color out of it).

Framing Your Shots – Photography

Composition Technique
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We often put the photos we take into frames as a way of displaying and drawing attention to our
favorite photos – but there is another type of framing that you can do as you’re taking your shots
that can be just as effective doing just the same thing!
Framing is the technique of drawing attention to the subject of your image by blocking other
parts of the image with something in the scene.
The benefits of framing pictures include:
1. giving the photo context (for example framing a scene with an archway can tell you
something about the place you are by the architecture of the archway or including some foliage
in the foreground of a shot can convey a sense of being out in nature).
2. giving images a sense of depth and layers (in essence framing a shot generally puts
something in the foreground which adds an extra dimension to the shot).
3. leading the eye towards your main focal point (some ‘frames’ can draw your photo’s viewer
into the picture just by their shape). Some also believe that a frame can not only draw the eye
into a picture but that it keeps it there longer – giving a barrier between your subject and the
outside of the shot.
4. intriguing your viewer. Sometimes it’s what you can’t see in an image that draws you into it
as much as (if not more than) what you can see in the picture. Clever framing that leaves those
viewing your image wondering a little or imagining what is behind your frame can be quite
effective (get it wrong and it can also be quite annoying!).

Frames for photographs come in all

shapes and sizes and can include
shooting through overhanging branches,
shooting through windows, using
tunnels, arches or doorways – you can
even use people (for example shooting
over shoulders or between heads) etc.
Your frame doesn’t need to go
completely around the edges of your
image – they might just be on one or two
edges of your shot.
My rule of thumb when considering
framing is to ask the question – ‘will this add to or take away from the image?’ Sometimes
framing can just add clutter to a shot and make it feel cramped – but at other times it can be the
difference between an ordinary shot and a stunning one.
Lastly – if you do use framing techniques you also need to consider whether you want your
frame to be in focus or not. In some instances a nicely blurred frame will really add a sense of
mood and depth to your shots (in this case use a large aperture) but in other cases to have your
frame in focus can help with adding context to the scene (in this case choose a narrow aperture.

4 Rules of Composition for

Landscape Photography
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Lonely tree by Tore H. on 500px

While I’m not always a fan of sticking strictly to the ‘rules’ or ‘guidelines’ of photography I
think they can be well worth knowing and keeping in the back of your mind as you shoot
(whether it’s so you can follow them or break them for effect). Here’s four ‘rules’ for landscape
photography that might be helpful for those just starting out (ie they’re not meant as a definitive
guide but rather a starting point) :

1. Diagonal Lines
Using diagonal lines can be a very effective way of drawing the eye of those viewing an image
into it and to the main focal point.
The ‘lines’ need not be actual lines – they could be the shape of a path, a line of trees, a fence,
river or any other feature in an image.
Converging lines (two or more lines coming from different parts of an image to a single point)
can be all the more effective.
Read more about using Diagonal Lines in your digital photography.

2. Geometric Shapes

By positioning key aspects of a landscape on points of a geometric shape you can help create a
balanced composition. Perhaps the most common and easiest way to do this is to use a ‘triangle’
shape between objects in an image with three objects in a frame positioned with one to each side
and one more central.
Using Geometric Shapes in this way isn’t something that I’ve done a lot of – but it is one
technique to get balance in a shot and if you’re clever, to lead the eye into it (in a similar way to
the diagonal lines rule above).
You can see this illustrated (to a point) in the photomontage image to the right.
3. The Rule of Thirds

The Rule of Thirds gets trotted out more often than any other in all types of photography and is
one of the first rules of composition taught to most photography students. While sometimes it
can feel a little cliche it can also be a very effective technique in landscapes (although keep in
mind that breaking this (and other rules) can also produce dramatic and interesting shots).
Position key points of interest in a landscape on the intersecting point between imaginary ‘third’
points in an image and you’ll help give your image balance and help those focal points to really
capture attention.
Read more about using the Rule of Thirds in composing your shots.

4. Framing Images

While adding points of interest to a foreground is an important technique for adding interest to

landscape shots – a similar technique is to ‘frame’ the shot by adding interest to other parts of the
edges of an image.
Perhaps the most common way of framing a landscape shot is to include an overhanging branch
in the upper section of a shot. Similarly framing a shot with a bridge might work.
Read more about Framing Images

Rules are Made to Be Broken?

Of course while knowing the rules can be important – knowing when to use them and when to
break them is a talent that great photographers generally have.
Practice these techniques – but don’t get so worked up about them that they kill the creativity
that you have.
Let me finish with a quote about Rules of Photography from Photographer Edward Weston to
help give us a little balance on the topic:
“To consult the rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of
gravitation before going for a walk. Such rules and laws are deduced from the accomplished
fact; they are the products of reflection.”

Hold Your Camera on an Angle

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This post belongs to our series of posts onbreaking rules of photography to get great images.
One of the ‘rules’ of photography that I talked about very early in the development of Digital
Photography School was to do everything you can to keep your images ‘straight’ (and
your horizons horizontal).
There are a lot of instances when you’d want to follow this rule pretty carefully (like in most
landscapes where a horizon should probably be straight) – but breaking it can lead to images
with drama, a feeling of energy and action and fun.
The key with breaking this rule is to not to ‘slightly break it’ (or you’ll have people wondering if
you meant it or not) but to give your wrist a real twist and to break it obviously.

Break the Rule of Thirds

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Photo by straightfinder
The good old ‘rule of thirds‘ makes a lot of sense in many types of photography (if you don’t
know what the rule of thirds is see out tutorial on it).
The Rule of Thirds does work well as a compositional rule in many situations – however placing
your subject dead center in an image can also produce powerful and confronting images –
particularly portraits where the subject is looking directly down the barrel or where you are
presented with a scene with real symmetry like the one to the left.
Next time you’re out with your camera experiment with composing shots both to follow and
break the rule of thirds – you’ll find in doing so you can end up with two very different
interpretations of the same scene.
This post belongs to our series of posts on breaking rules of photography to get great images.

Ignore the ‘Active Space’ Rule for

Moving Subjects
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Another rule of composition that we’ve talked about previously is creating Active Space for
moving subjects to move into.
The idea is that if you are photographing a subject that is moving you should place more empty
space in front of it than behind it. This gives the viewer of the image a sense of where the subject
is moving and creates a sense of anticipation.
While following this rule can produce some excellent results, breaking it can add a little tension
and intrigue to your images.
Image by Jim Skea
It can also convey a sense of speed and/or give the viewer a sense of where the subject has been
rather than where they are headed.
For instance – the image to the left would not have been as dramatic without the trailing smoke
behind the place. The fact that it’s approaching the top edge of the frame also gives a sense of
speed as it almost bursts out of the frame (not to mention the clever mirroring and contrasts in
the image).

Experiment with Different Framings

with Portraits
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In a similar way to our previous post onbreaking the rule of ‘Active Space’ when photographing
moving subjects – a similar technique can be used when photographing people.
When taking portraits it is customary to position your subject with more space on the side of
their head where they are facing (or give them space to look into).
If your subject is looking off to one side you would generally give them a little extra room to
look into. This creates balance and gives viewers of the shot a sense of where your subject is
looking.
However, as we’ve found with other broken rules in this series of posts, breaking this rule can
produce some eye catching shots also.
So next time you’re doing some portrait work experiment with different poses and framing. Take
some shots with your subject looking directly at the camera, some with them looking to one side
with more space to look into and some the other way around.
You’ll find that you’ll end up with three quite different moods in the three different framings.

Taking Unfocused Photos

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Beautifully sharp and detailed images are something we all aspire for in the majority of our shots
– I know I do.
However purposely leaving your main subject (or even your whole shot) out of focus can also
create stunningly dreamy images also.
There are two main strategies if you’re wanting to explore purposely ‘unfocused’ images:
1. You might choose to focus on a seemingly unimportant element of the scene (do this by
choosing a wide aperture which will give a narrow depth of field and focus on something in front
of or behind your main subject).
2. The other option is to make your full image out of focus but choosing to focus well beyond or
in front of your main subject. Again, a wide aperture will help here and you will probably need
to switch your camera to manual focusing mode or it will attempt to find something to focus
upon.
This second option will take a little experimentation. Get things too unfocused and you’ll end up
with a completely unrecognizable subject – the key is to have enough focus for it to be
recognizable but out of focus enough to create a wonderful dreamy mood.
Below are two more examples of unfocused images for a little inspiration.
This post belongs to our series on Breaking Rules of Photography.
Use a High ISO to Create Grainy
Shots
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Today we’re going to continue our Breaking the Rules of Photography series by suggesting you
experiment with a high ISO.
Don’t know what ISO is? Read this introduction to ISO before reading on.
While not really a ‘rule’ of photography – it is generally accepted in most photographic tutorials
that you should avoid noise in your images at all costs by choosing the lowest ISO possible for
the light situation that you’re shooting in. This will leave you with shots that are as smooth, clean
and sharp as possible for the lighting conditions that you’re in.
While this is a recommended practice in most shooting circumstances – there are times where
ramping up your ISO setting to it’s maximum can create some interesting effects.
Grainy or noisy shots can give your image a gritty and raw quality that creates a completely
different mood in your shots.
I should say in concluding that this technique is getting more and more difficult as an in camera
technique because manufacturers are getting better and better at eliminating noise and grain from
high ISO settings. In the ‘old day’s of film this was a lot easier to do as high ISO films naturally
had lovely gritty grain to them. Some cameras will end up with muddy/murky shots instead. A
better route is probably to take a shot at a lower ISO and do some post production work to get the
grainy effect that you’re after – however sometimes it’s more fun to try to get these effects in
camera.
Move Your Camera to Create Motion
Blur
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Here is another quick post from the ourBreaking Rules of Photography series of posts – this time
on moving your camera during exposure.
One of the most common tips that are given in photography tutorials is to ‘secure your
camera’.
Usually the method is by attaching your camera to a tripod or monopod to avoid camera shake –
however purposeful camera shake can actually give an image a sense of movement, excitement
and energy. It can also result in shots with a more ‘candid’ or ‘voyeuristic’ feel.
You might want to do this simply by selecting a shutter speed that is slightly slower than normal
and moving your camera during the exposure. In fact with even just slightly slower shutter speed
than normal just trying to handhold your camera while taking your shot will probably give it the
effect that you’re looking for.
In a sense, panning is an example of this – as is camera tossing…. (not for the faint hearted).