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Photo Tips & Techniques

Rules of good composition date back to the masters of the Renaissance. They've become "rules" because they've been proven to work. They can be successfully broken, but it's paramount to first become proficient with their use if you want to become a better photographer. Once mastered, it's easier to realize you need not apply them to every photographic composition you create.

One of the most important rules of composition is to arrange all the elements in the image in a orderly way. This includes having a foreground, middle ground, and background that work in harmony. The viewer's eye should be lead through each of these areas without encountering any distractions or disturbances. Each area should complement the other in a smooth and orderly flow.

In the images for this Here's How, the first lacks depth and dimensionality due to the lack of a foreground and mid ground. Although the sunrise was glorious, the photo doesn't have the appeal of the second in which the solitary boat creates a foreground that leads to the peninsula formation that constitutes the middle ground. In the second image, the viewer's eye is lead through the image  rather than having it fixate on just the sunrise as in the first.

Wide angle lenses work great to create the classic foreground to background type of landscape shot, but telephotos also work well as demonstrated by the accompanying examples. Regardless of the lens you use, make the composition clean, have no distractions, and make it evident to the viewer that there's a strong foreground, mid and background.

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