Composition Rules

Photography brings a visual language that is universally understandable. We must then understand its vocabulary which consists of shapes, textures, patterns, lines, colours, shade of light to dark and sharp to blurry images. Just as we must learn to arrange words in a coherent order in order to make sense when we write or speak, so too must we put visual elements together in an organized manner if our photographs are to convey their meaning clearly and vividly.

Composition means arrangement: the order you put images/symbols/etc together to make a unified whole. However, there are basic principles that direct the way visual elements behave and interact when you combine them inside the four borders of a photograph. Once we have grasped these basic ideas of principles, then we will have the potential for making our photographs more exciting and give them something to say.
The most popular form of composition is called ‘The Rule of Thirds’. Imaginary lines are drawn dividing the image into thirds both horizontally and vertically, like this:



You place important elements of your composition where these lines intersect. As well as using the intersections you can arrange areas into bands occupying a third or place things along the imaginary lines.