Composition172 articles

Rule of thirds? Leading lines? The Fibonacci spiral? Learn it all with our deep archive of photography composition tips for beginner, intermediate and pro photographers.

Aspects of Composition When Framing a Photograph

Aspects of Composition When Framing a Photograph

Composition is the cement that binds a photo together. Without composition your images are nothing more than a bunch of elements scattered across the frame. Photographer Marcin Lewandowski touches on some important aspects of this most critical element of photography: One of the things that you have to deal with in your photography on an […]

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Simplification & Negative Space in Photography Composition

Simplification & Negative Space in Photography Composition

Simplification and negative space are two terms that are closely related. You can’t talk about one and ignore the other. But what exactly is simplification? And how do you explain negative space? Ted Forbes shares his take on the subject: Simplification Simplification denotes reducing the elements in your composition down to a bare minimum—just what […]

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Tips for Taking Your Photography Composition to the Next Level

Tips for Taking Your Photography Composition to the Next Level

What is the most important thing for storytelling with your photography? Composition! This video from Mango Street is a quick refresher on the most important aspects of composition: Rule of Thirds The rule of thirds divides the entire frame into nine equal rectangles like a tic-tac-toe board. These are created using two sets of intersecting […]

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Photo Composition Guidelines

Photo Composition Guidelines

The rule of thirds and its variation, the phi grid, aren’t designed to be rigid. As a photographer, it’s your prerogative to know when to break these rules. If you choose to use these structures, however, you can look at them as guidelines for building your compositions: The most obvious way to use the rule of thirds […]

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Breaking Rules of Composition in Photography

Breaking Rules of Composition in Photography

Chances are, you’re familiar with the old adage that “rules are meant to be broken.” Photography is no exception to the saying. As David Bergman explains, although many of the rules and conventions photographers stick to are tried and true, often the most striking images ignore them entirely: Here are a few instances in which breaking the […]

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Photography Composition

Photography Composition

Composition is the heart of the photo. Composition leads to the work of art that starts from inspiration. Inspiration begins when you disconnect with the interior struggles of everyday life and free the spirit to experience the world around you. Truly being in the moment and experiencing nature links you with everything around you. It […]

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Improve Your Photography Composition by Studying Art Books

Improve Your Photography Composition by Studying Art Books

When discovering the basics of photography, your first instinct might not be to turn to classical painting. Instead, many of us turn to technical blogs and research top of the line editing gear. However, as art educator Tavis Leaf Glover demonstrates, the artists of old may have more to offer contemporary photographers than initially meets the eye: The […]

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Using Lines and Light for Better Photo Composition

Using Lines and Light for Better Photo Composition

Believe it or not, the art of photography is firmly planted in mathematics. Since the dawn of civilization, people have been fascinated by quantifying and adding structure to the universe; innately, we have a desire to use logic and formulas to understand our surroundings. Just as human beings are attracted to symmetry in facial features and […]

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Why Does “Bad” Composition Work?

Why Does “Bad” Composition Work?

The rule of thirds is a common framing technique used in photography and cinematography and likely one of the first lessons most photographers learn. This method brings balance and natural appearance to the composition, often resulting in a crisp, appealing image. But Brain Flick has some different views on the rule of thirds and how it can be […]

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5 Composition Techniques That Go Beyond the Rule of Thirds

5 Composition Techniques That Go Beyond the Rule of Thirds

We all know about the rule of thirds by now, but there’s a lot more to framing a photo. This video by photographer Wayne Moran is a simple and yet absorbing round up of a few less obvious compositional techniques that are guaranteed to lift your photography to the next level. So without further ado, […]

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