Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

Probably the major problem with all Rules of Thumb boils down to just one thing: They ignore the only valid purpose for a photograph to ever be considered great: A photograph is a means of communications! Visual communications using symbols. It is different, but has the same purpose as a paragraph of text.

With text we don't expect much from a paragraph if someone uses a lot of interesting words that have no common thread. If there is no point to the composition, if it just rambles and says nothing, it makes little difference if the words sound nice and the sentences fit the language grammar to the satisfaction of a college language professor.

The same is true of pretty pictures. Pretty, but not worth much if nothing of significance is communicated. An interesting example can be made, that flower pictures and sunset pictures are almost always overwhelming in natural beauty... to the point that most such pictures are absolutely boring because the overwhelmed photographer did not consider trying to communicate anything of significance with the image.

Composition is not something we just accidentally or even naturally see. We have to learn to look for what is there and realize how it can be used in a photograph to communicate. In other words we need to understand how to communicate visually. Just as we all studied communicating with written text for years while in school, a photographer needs to spend time (yes, probably years) studying visual communications too.

It has virtually nothing to do with what genre of photography one works with. There is no real difference in the art of composition for Street Photography as opposed to Landscape or Wedding Photography. In all cases is the application of our understanding of the psychology of visual perception.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

The best informational material that I know of when it comes to grounding your photography in classical art theory is Adam Marelli.

Here are a couple of free videos from him...they are a gold mine of information.

Classical Art for Photographers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwk3YFknyNA

How to talk to strangers: tips for photographing people (much more broad than the title makes it seem)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJHfT7lYqCo

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

Here is another odd point to consider about photographic composition... It is a means of communication with visual symbols, and most but not all people find that fairly unusual. There are people for whom that is absolutely the norm: Anyone who is deaf, especially if they have never had hearing.

They don't think in pseudo "words" the way people with hearing do. They've never heard a word! They think in terms of visual sequences or objects. They communicate either with those symbols or with other symbols that invoke those specific ones in their mind.

I have a friend in his early 70's who is a "character". He can't hear, but he can communicate with people who don't know sign language better than any other deaf person I've ever seen. He uses every bone and muscle in his body to create a series of visual signals that pass along what he is thinking.

I've been studying his methods for a few years now, and can't say that I'm able to extract enough or to transfer it to photography well enough to have any significance. At this point it's more the realization of how significant it is that counts.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

Good advice! In general look at books and in museum at master paintings and photographs. And you can read about how the rules of composition were applied. Than practice it.

muggins88 Loc: Inverness, Florida

Loved that sight.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Yes, and Google or a bookstore will help. Fortunately, good composition applies to more than just photography, so you will find lots of resources. Try alibri.com for used books. I began reading photo mags in the 1970s, and seeing all those beautiful shots automatically got me in the habit of "composing" shots as I go through my day. I'll be driving in my car and see a scene and frame it in my mind. Take a look at lynda.com - hundreds of good courses, and you can try it for a week for free to see if you like it. After that, it's just $25 for a month of unlimited access.

There are specific things you can do to frame a shot more effectively, like leading lines, pattern, framing, an object in the foreground, shooting from high or low. The list goes on.

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

I frame things the way they feel right. For me it is instinctual, I don't have any intellectual notion of why I frame the way I frame. I just try to achieve a certain sense of balance.

Basil Loc: New Mexico

Thanks. I'll have to disagree about the tree branches. I think it depends on what it is you're trying to do and such proclamations as "don't ever do this or that" should never be hard and fast rules. For example, I personally like this picture posted at Digital Photography School (Link only as it's copyrighted): http://digital-photography-school.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/how-to-photograph-trees-gavin-hardcastle_framing.jpg


In general I agree to get distractions out of the picture as much as possible. And as for the shots with a human - well, sometimes a human IS the subject, or part of the scene by intent. In the case of the lady in the pictures, that was my wife and we were out on a hike on our 41st anniversary. I took lots of pictures without her, but in the cases where I included her, well, she WAS the subject. Not all pictures have to be just pure objects or landscapes. Sometimes, people are part of the story you're trying to tell. It all depends on what you're trying to accomplish with a particular image.

Marionsho Loc: Kansas

Thanks for pointing out the totally idiotic saying about tree limbs.
One of the Hogs posted moon shots, I think just yesterday, that included tree limbs coving the moon that were really really cool.
There are lots of cases where tree limbs can add to the composition of the image. And yes, if they are a distraction, eliminate them from the scene.
Marion

MtnMan Loc: ID

Thanks for the first link. It is great. The youtube page also brings up other good ones.

I like Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Composition Field Guide". One of his points not mentioned yet is "fill the frame".

I struggle with composition so appreciate all the help I can get. My wife, who isn't nearly as accomplished technically with the camera, excels at composition. It is because she has a talent for art...and training in art.

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

Join a camera club. Peer and "superior" review is a great learning tool. Our club has beginners and pros. We meet twice a month and critique our photos at the first monthly meeting. I've learned about how to evaluate a photo in terms of impact, technique, and composition. This translates directly into evaluating a scene and then capturing the image you want.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Try watching "Composition, Finding Your Visual Flow" by Ian Plant. It's on video and is a good tutorial about composition. If I remember right, it's about an hour long.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

Some people think they have learned composition when they can list a large number of such Rules Of Thumb. They have the recipe for mediocre art...

We see it often. Horizons have to be straight and other such things are described as "I was taught by a pro 50 years ago", or told as what was learned at a workshop by some master.

Studying the art of composition is what works best, so that with each example it can be done to produce the desired effect. Instinct using natural talent to decide what is best also works. Being aware of guidelines which may or not be useful can be helpful while learning. But learning invariant rules for composition is a mistake that limits art to mediocre at best.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

BH puts out some terrific videos, no doubt. But that first one, on "Classical Art for Photographers" has to be the best one they have ever done. Adam Marelli's presentation style is great, the information is great, and what a person walks away having learned is wonderful.

Basil Loc: New Mexico

I'm not disagreeing with you, but in my humble opinion, like anything in life, you have to start somewhere to learn anything. Rules of thumb are just that, rules of thumb, not hard and fast rules, but concepts to start with, then expand on. They give you things to consider as you compose. When I took art class 100 years ago, I remember being taught basic concepts first. If a person sets out to learn piano, most people are not going to jump in and play Beethoven's Piano Concerto #5 in E Flat right off the bat. They are going to start with the basics and learn the scales, learn the basic language of music, and then build on those basics as they learn and grow as a musician.

I am under no illusion that I'm any good at composition (as I stated in my post listing some basic concepts) but they are things that at least give me things to consider and hopefully build on. It is my hope that I will continue to learn and build on these basic concepts and improve over time. I know I have a long was to go and don't think that listing some concepts I've learned means that I think I've "learned composition." I hope I never stop learning.