10 Tips to Improve Your Photo's Composition

Since I have not had a chance to get outside and do any photography this week I decided I would make a post about 10 specific things to improve your photographs composistion. So below I have listed ways to improve composistion in photographs to make them stand out to people viewing them.  I hope these tips help people with there photographs.

1) Look for new points of view

•  Eye-catching photographs are made when people see something that they don't see every day. 
•  Use wide angle lenses and telephoto lenses to alter perspctive and apparent points of view.
•  Lie on the ground, change height of the camera. 
•  Look at things in new ways, that you would not normally think about doing. 

2) Simplify

•  The most effective photographs only have a few elements.
•  Don't clutter the image because people won't even know what your subject is. 

3) Don't center your subject

•  The "Rule of Thirds"  important parts of a photograph should fall along imaginary lines tha divide the image into thirds both horizontally and vertically.
•  Horizons, natural lines, important points, and main subjects all will benifit from being put in the sections.
•  Crop photographs to encorerate rule of thirds and to draw out your main subject from the background.

4) Try to show depth

•  Photographs are 2-dimensional representations of 3-dimensional objects.
•  Selective Focus: out of focus forground or background items with your main subject sharp.  (wide aperture)
•  Converging lines:  try and show lines that converge and join in the distance.  (sunlight on water, tree trunks)
•  Boldly include foreground and distant objects. (small aperature)

5) Look for repeating patterns

•  Drawing attention to patters makes people see things they might not have noticed before .
•  Show a pattern and an interruption of it, then you can draw attention to the interruption in the pattern.

6) Try to include curves, diagonals, and triangles

•  These contrast against the overall shape of the photograph which is normally rectangular and level to the world.  This can get people to look twice at your photograph.

7) Show symmetry

•  Most people do not see nature as random, but letting them see that symmetry exists in nature can make your photograph more interesting. Good examples of symmetry can be seen in reflections and leaf patterns.

8) Frame your subject

•  Put your subject in its surroundings.
•  Choose other objects that lead the eye to the main subject.

9) Try to show motion

•  If you can show motion in a motionless form, then people are fasinated by it.
•  This is best shown by showing something the view knows is moving in sharp focus, with time seemingly suspended. 
•  Use motion blur either of the main subject or of the background.

10) Use contrast effectively

•  Show your light-toned subject on a dark background.
•  Show your dark subject on a light background.
•  Look at the well-lit and silhouetted sides of things, shadows and lighter spots are very important. 
•  Find contrast in color while keeping overall light/dark contrast low.
•  Show subject blending with their surrounding in terms of tone and use selective focus to make them stand out.