5 Photography Composition Techniques

So in the past week of my Fotog Friday posts, we learned a little more about our camera. If you haven’t had a chance to check that out, you can see my DSLR 101 post here. They are great first step into DSLR photography. Today I wanted to give you some photography composition techniques that will really help your photos stand out. Anyone can point and shoot a camera, but it takes knowledge and skill to come out with a beautiful photo that makes your viewer love looking at it! Let’s start with one of my favorites.

Rule of Thirds

If you have taken any sort of art class, you may know what the rule of thirds is! Image that your image is split into 9 segments by two vertical lines and two horizontal lines. With the rule of thirds, you are supposed to put your subject, or the most important aspect of your photo on one of those intersecting points. You may think that it would make your photo look unbalanced, but in fact does the opposite. It adds interest to your photo, and makes it more pleasing to the eye! Who doesn’t want that?!

Leading Lines

Leading lines are what can draw our eyes to a certain area of an image. It can be the use of a road, a bridge, or a horizon line that can draw your eye to your subject! And the line doesn’t have to just be straight. It can be curvy, diagonal, or zig-zag.

Symmetry

There are many times in real life that you can find symmetry or patterns. This photography composition technique is a great way to capture eye-catching photos.

Natural Framing/Shooting Through Things

Using the natural surroundings around your subjects to frame them is a great way of getting some very cool composition, and making sure your viewers eyes head straight for your subjects. I know some photographers who will even climb trees to get some cool shots shooting through the leaves into the subject. You can use a bush, or leaves, or sagebrush like I did here! One tip when shooting through things is to have your subject not looking directly at you, or it might look like you’re being a creeper. HA!

Looking In/Out of the Frame

A good way to get a very interesting composition with a subject is to have them looking in or out of the frame. When they look into the frame, it’s more intimate and welcoming, where if they are looking out of the frame, it’s more mysterious. You can’t see what they are looking at, and it makes you wonder.

These are just a few photography composition techniques. None of them are the best way, but these are a few ways to get some great photos! You might notice that a photo can be more than one technique sometimes!!

What’s your favorite? What do you find yourself using most? Are there any that you think you need more help with? Comment here and let me know! 🙂