Have all your photos been coming out the same – no real pop to them, nothing to make people say “woah”?
That might be due to a lack of composition.
And no, we don't mean it as in musical composition, though it is no less important in this medium.
Composition in photography means setting up all the elements in our shots in an aesthetically pleasing way.
Sounds simple enough, but it takes a lot of practice to get it right. But don’t worry, in this article, we’ll show you 8 rules of composition that will make your future photos look like works of art.
The Best 8 Rules of Composition in Photography
Here we’ll highlight the best 8 rules of composition. There are, of course, more than 8 rules of composition for photography, and even the word “rule” isn't meant in a literal sense – they're more like tips and guidelines.
However, the rules we picked to present to you today are among the most important and most commonly used by photographers worldwide, here to help you create a pleasing composition.
Here are the best 8 rules of composition in photography:
- Rule of thirds
- Leading lines
- Golden ratio
- Framing
- Rule of odds
- Simplicity
- Rule of space
- Symmetrical balance
Let's get into the nitty gritty about all of them!
Rule of Thirds
The rule of thirds is one of the simplest composition techniques a photographer can learn. The easiest way to illustrate this rule of composition is to imagine a grid on your camera frame.
Two horizontal lines intersect with two vertical lines, and they're all evenly spaced out on the frame leaving three columns and rows for us to look at.
The rule of thirds is the notion that the focal points of our image should lie at the intersections of the horizontal and vertical lines.
The columns and rows of the grid can be used to help with the arrangement of elements within our image.
For example, to show color progression in your shot, place the darkest colored subjects in the left-hand column and the brightest on the right-hand side.
If there are two subjects that both deserve equal billing in the picture, each can be placed on the intersection points of the grid, giving both a focal place in the photo.
Leading Lines
By using the leading lines technique, a photographer uses artificial or natural lines to guide the audience's gaze toward the focal point of the photo.
Depending on the visual elements and context of the image, leading lines can either be subtle or obvious.
The main use of this rule of composition is to guide the eye to what we want it to see, and different types of lines – horizontal, vertical, diagonal – each tell a different story.
Golden Ratio
The golden spiral, Fibonacci's sequence, and the golden ratio are all terms for this composition technique.
And it is not exclusive to photography either – one can find the golden ratio rule being used in various fields such as architecture, math, art, and music.
In essence, it is a sequence of numbers with the two former numbers in the sequence being the sum parts of the next number, i.e. 0+1=1 and then 1+1=2, 2+1=3, and on and on.
In photographic composition, the golden ratio shares similarities with the rule of thirds. So much so that the rule of thirds was likely based on the golden ratio.
The easiest way to apply the golden ratio rule is to have leading lines that follow the golden spiral, which is easier said than done.
Even harder would be to split the image in a ratio of 1:1.618 where the smaller half would have the subject of the image in it.
To see if it worked well, remove the larger half of the image and see whether the smaller one works as a standalone photo.
Framing
When using framing, you want to focus the viewer's attention on the subject of the photo. To accomplish this, the visual element itself isn't manipulated but rather the viewpoint!
Framing has to do with the perspective of the viewer, arguing that perspective has a great influence on the way we perceive an image.
The way good framing is achieved is left to the imagination of the artist and depends greatly on the nature of the photo.
If we're taking photos in nature, trees and rocks can be used to frame the subject in a frame. In urban photography, buildings or bridges might be used as frames.
The important thing is the perception that is being conveyed through any given frame.
Rule of Odds
The rule of odds is often called the rule of three, but since that would be confusing (we already have a rule of thirds), we'll stick to the original name.
What the rule of odds suggests is that the human eye prefers balance and harmony, and such balance is most often represented through an odd number of subjects.
Having an even number of subjects in a photo can be seen as dull and artificial, and the brain immediately starts dividing them into groups. Having an odd number of subjects, however, feels more natural.
Although it implies any odd number would work, the preferable amount is three. This number adds just the right amount of clutter to an image while remaining simple enough.
If the object of a photo is a greater number of people, an easy way to work around that would be to group them in three batches. That way you still have three units and the harmony of the photo is preserved.
Simplicity
With the rule of simplicity, you reduce the clutter of your image down to the bare necessities.
It can sound similar to minimalism, however, simplicity does not aim to have a minimal number of subjects but rather the maximal number of necessary subjects.
Backgrounds are either simple colors, slightly blurred out, or complement the focal point of the image unobtrusively.
Though judging what is obtrusive and what is not is the hard part, and requires a lot of trial and error.
Rule of Space
The rule of space is a technique where the balance between the subject and the negative space is of utmost importance.
Negative space can include anything with low activity in the frame, which can also apply to the background.
This rule of composition allows you to give the illusion of movement to your subjects by blurring out certain areas of the frame, depending on where your subject is facing.
That illusion of movement gives context to the photo and can push the audience to imagine where the subject is headed, and why.
Symmetrical Balance
As it can be deduced from the name, symmetrical balance is the balance between two halves of the image.
The symmetry does not have to be achieved through uniformity of the two halves – as long as there are some similarities and parallels, symmetry will be evident.
It's all about distributing the “weight” of the image equally on both sides, where weight can stand for content, objects, or even subjects.
Rules Are Meant To Be Broken
As we mentioned earlier, rules of composition are not rules in the classical sense of the word. There is no overarching governing body of photography that will go after you if you don't include all the elements of composition you learned.
Rather, they're guidelines for achieving aesthetically pleasing, harmonic images and should be used like that – as guiding principles to help you become more refined as a photographer.
The 8 rules of composition we singled out for you are a great starting point since they cover the rules that are most widely employed by photographers of all skill levels.
As an aspiring photographer, it is now up to you to try each one of them out and make them your own. And in time, you will be composing masterpieces.