Friday, February 27, 2015

4 Sure Tips to Help You Use Photography Composition to Your Advantage


written by: Just shoot a photo team



     Composition is a term that you may have heard of severally and the same term is heavily used in the professional photography circles. What it basically means is aligning subjects or elements in manner that can allow the photographer to tell a story or achieve a certain goal. Considering how vital this can be, you have to make sure that you understand the rules that govern the basics of photography composition which can be key to allowing you use this technique to have better shots and give your photos a better angle. Here are some of the tips that can guide you and act as a tutorial on how to make the most out of photography composition.

1. Keep it simple.
     When you look at any scene with your naked eye, you are quickly able to pick out any subjects of interest and those that are most captivating to you. However, this is not the case with a camera. It does not discriminate. Because of this, you can end up with a clustered picture that looks quite messy and confusing. Simply pick out your subjects very well and then ensure that you have the focal length of the camera set right. Make sure that your subject is the center of attention of the frame (not at the center of the frame). If you would like to include other objects in the picture or make them part of the story, you can have them in the background.
2. Keep it away from the center.
     As a beginner, it can be tempting to throw every one of your subjects right at the middle of the photo. Because of this, your pictures end up getting a boring and static look. To counter this, try moving the subject to one side and balancing this out with the rest of the scene. This gives a better angle and offers a much more intriguing photo with a bigger and more captivating story to tell. The best way to do this would be to use the rule of thirds where you try and place the subject on one of the imaginary lines. If your smartphone camera has grids, this should be much easier.

3. Make use of leading lines.
     This is one of those tips that if mastered well, you can revolutionize not only your composition but your entire photography aspect. It is particularly a great tip to use when you are taking photos where the subject is a blur. In such scenarios, the viewer’s eyes would wander all over the picture not knowing where the focal point is. However, by using lines, you can be able to direct the eyes of the viewer to see what you want them to see. In some instances, the leading lines themselves can be the subject but in most cases you can use these as tour guide around your photography composition. They also help to achieve a sense of depth which can be hard especially with smartphones.
4. Remember the background.
     While photography composition is primarily about being able to get the subject or element to tell the story, it will rarely be able to do this on its own. The background plays a vital role in ensuring that you are able to capture the entire story and allows you to fill the frame without making the photo look clustered. If you do not want to have the background as part of your story, you than throw it out of focus by having a longer focal length and a wide lens aperture but you might not be able to control this on your smartphone.
While getting around the basics of photography composition, it is vital to note that the aim here is not always to capture the subject in a manner that is flattering or aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Instead, it is about how you as an individual would like to express yourself. 
     Think of yourself as an artist and your camera as the canvas. How would you like the layout or the story to be told? You can also consider the message or story that you would like to capture. This is the true essence and vitality of photography composition and why getting it right is very crucial.