Compose Yourself

By Danielle Gagnier

 

Composition is key when taking a good picture.

Manipulating objects in your photography is an easy way to jazz up your pictures, especially if  certain lenses are out of your price range. Studying your surroundings and using them to your advantage is a lot cheaper than buying a new lens.

Composition is important to isolate your subject. Through proper composition you can make the viewer focus on what you want them to. The five easiest ways to improve your photo-taking skills through composition are: rule of thirds, leading lines, symmetry, point of view and framing.

Rule of thirds is separating sections of your photo off using a grid. The rule of thirds is applied by aligning the subjects with the grid and their intersection points, never putting an object or horizon directly in the middle of your photograph. This makes your picture flow better.

Leading lines refers to a technique where photographers use lines within an image that lead the eye directly to the subject. Lines do not necessarily have to be distinct, straight lines; they can be somewhat distorted, curvy, wavy, rounded, etc. If a pair of leading lines with a subject is placed according to the rule of thirds, your image should be very strong.

Symmetry surrounds us in our daily life all the time, whether it is manmade or natural. The same goes for patterns. You can use symmetry in your photos to break the pattern in some way, introducing the subject and a focal point. Patterns bring a sense of visual rhythm and harmony to photographs that captures the imagination. Emphasizing and focusing on patterns can lead to a great shot.

Point of view is pretty self explanatory. The angle of your camera changes the subject’s appearance and the outcome of the picture entirely. It gives the viewer different angles of the same subject or scene. Choosing your point of view depends on what you want your photo to portray. Do you want to shoot from eye level, above your subject, or below your subject?

Framing is a technique used to bring focus to a subject. Whether it be an actual frame, environmental, structural framing, framing with light or lack thereof, they all work well to bring the viewer’s eye to your subject, which is the main goal when composing your photo.