Spectacular lighting and unique subjects alone do not make for a good photo. It also takes a good composition to tie the two together. In this article, I give you six tips to improve the composition of your photos and deal with different subjects and lighting.
I present the tips below in no particular order. No tip is more important than the others. Think of them as a selection of techniques that you can apply in different situations.
Pay attention to your middle ground
I love mine wide angle lens. It’s the most cliché landscape lens, but I don’t care. It can be used to lower the ground and get close to any foreground element, and the distortion it creates can draw the viewer into the scene.
While doing so, however, don’t just focus on the foreground. In the photo below you can see the coastal flowers on the left side of the frame. Those are very typical features of the Cornish coast. But I tried not to lower my camera to get closer to them. The reason for that is the average ground.
When you compose a photo, you should always pay attention to it. If you place your camera too low, the elements in the middle will take up less space or they will disappear completely behind objects closer to the camera. This isn’t always bad, and you can use it to hide things you don’t want your viewers to see. But you will also lose depth.
In the example photo, I want to keep some distance between the rocks in the foreground and the beaches on the left side. In this way, the rocks and sea appear as repeating shapes throughout the image. I also want to allow the viewer to see where the path leads. The green slopes on the right side will be lost if I move the camera closer to the ground.
Find a suitable foreground
I try to create balance in my photos. It requires finding contexts that harmonize with the different skies I encounter. For example, a clear sky doesn’t blend well with a chaotic foreground. If you don’t have any clouds in the sky, try to find a clean foreground.
In the image below, I used a flat meadow as the foreground. It works well with clear, magenta skies because of the yellow-green color and small puddles of water that reflect the colors of the sky. With a clear sky, the foreground is less.
If you happen to have clouds in the sky like I had at Land’s End in Cornwall a few years ago, that’s different. Try to find a foreground that contains structures and shapes that mimic what you see in the sky.
The diagonal orientation of the clouds high above the Lands End is uniquely selected by the shape of the rocks in the foreground. You can also find some colors of the sky in the foreground. It helps to tie the photos together.
Use leading lines
Leads come in many different shapes and sizes, and it can take some practice to find them. If you walk around and see the scenery from eye level, you will often miss them. That’s why you should take out your camera and move around during your scouting: go low, go right and left, and explore all the angles you can find.
To create dynamic compositions, look for diagonal lines that you can use as leading paths. If you find curves that’s even better. And be careful with the placement of those lines: you want the lines to guide the photo toward your main subject. Avoid things that draw the viewer out of the frame.
In the example image, I use a combination of leading paths. I was very low to capture the backflow of water, creating lines coming in from the bottom left of the frame. As the water flows around the central rock, it creates a winding path. It enters the image from the bottom right and curves towards the overlapping sea in the background.
Using classes
Layers can be a powerful way to structure your images and bring order to your compositions. Especially when I’m taking pictures with a long lens, I pay a lot of attention to how the elements in my photo stack up. Once I identify the different layers, I try to align them smoothly so that the viewer’s eye easily glides across the frame.
Here, it helps if you can achieve a composition where the lines intersect the layers at an angle. It makes the photo more dynamic. Think of those intersections as paths: diagonals and curves work great.
In this photo of rice terraces in Vietnam, you’ll notice three main layers: the rice fields in the foreground near the camera, the terraces in the center, and the hill in the background, which contains more rice. The different sizes of those stairs create a sense of depth in the photo. The junction is an angle while the fields curve through the image.
Use the Rule of Thirds to your advantage
When I compose photos, I usually start with the rule of thirds. As I wrote above, I try to create balance in my images and this rule gives me a good foundation. But strictly applied it will be limited. After I pre-align the key elements in the frame using a 3×3 grid in the live view of Canon R5, I started changing it around. Now, I just go with what my eyes tell me to look good.
Sometimes the end result follows the rule of thirds, but often, the elements are aligned differently and no longer follow any particular rule. In the photo of the woods, the trees on the left and the light on the right are balanced. This balance is not achieved by placing them exactly on the vertical lines of the 3×3 grid.
I start the composition that way but then move the camera until the distribution of visual weight in the image feels balanced. Since the trees on the left have strong visual weight, I had to move them closer to the center of the frame while letting the soft light on the right sit closer to the edge. Think of a pair of scales: to balance a heavy object with a lighter one, you must bring the heavier object closer to the center and the lighter object farther away.
You can apply the same principle to balancing elements of different visual weight in a photo. But just like using a scale, you have to start somewhere, and this is where you can use the rule of thirds to your advantage.
Give your subject(s) space
Before you start composing your photos, find your main subject. It can be a single element, or you can have multiple important subjects. Once you’ve identified those, try to give them space in your layout. You don’t want them to merge with other elements in front or behind them. Create contrast between them and their surroundings and give them the visual weight they deserve.
In the example photo, I’m standing on a ridge overlooking the coastal mountains of central Crete. I made sure to set my camera high enough to create a good separation between my head and the ridge in the center of the frame. The light helps separate me from the scene. The mountain in front of me was in the shade and provided the perfect backdrop.
Whenever you want to emphasize your main subject, do so by properly positioning the camera and working with the lighting in the scene. Usually, it just means moving your camera a few inches left or right, top or bottom. But sometimes you may have to climb a mountain to set your camera high enough. In the featured video, I talk more about the different composition techniques and give you additional examples in the field.
Inference
I need to mention something very important: While the above text sounds like a selection of compositional rules, don’t treat it that way. Think of it as a selection of mixing techniques that will help you create great mixes in many situations. But in the end, go with what your eyes tell you and what looks good to you. I talk a lot about balance, but maybe you don’t want a balanced photo and want to create tension between the elements in the frame. That’s perfectly fine. Then you may want to layout your images differently from the examples I showed above.
But regardless of your preference, it’s always good to learn about the rules and techniques that other photographers apply. Then just choose the ones that suit your specific needs.
