You've got your camera; you're getting to grips with it but sometimes that's not enough. That's when you need a little inspiration, and learning about composition could be the answer.
There are a few rules and guidelines that can help whether you want to take family pictures, landscapes or pets and it's not as difficult as you might think. The main thing to remember is that everything takes time and you'll get better the more you shoot.
The best known rule of composition is called 'the rule of thirds': quite simply you divide an image up into thirds both horizontally and vertically and the points of interest (or focal points) should lie where these lines meet. This rule is often reflected in the work of artists, especially in still life and landscape images.
An alternative way to use this rule is to place important areas in the actual thirds e.g. in the bottom or top third of an image. You might equally place the main subject of an image slightly off centre. Take a look in some magazines and divide the pictures into thirds: you'll be amazed how prevalent the rule applies, and you'll soon get the hang of it.
The 'rule of thirds' simply creates balance and helps to ensure a good result. To try it for yourself, focus on something with your camera- even something banal and familiar to you- and then move the subject in the viewfinder so it complies with the rule. You'll be surprised at the difference it makes.
Don't forget, if you intend to capture a person or an animal in motion, you need give them more space to 'run into'. If there's greater space behind them than in front, it will look distinctly odd.
I'd always recommend taking lots and lots of shots, and try different things - it's the only way to learn. It's also how you'll find out a style of shot to call your own. If you get too close, you'll limit what you can do with your results so take a variety of images at different distances- you can always crop them later.
The best thing about the rule of thirds is that it's often great to break it…
Try placing your subject right bang in the centre of a shot: this shouldn't work but sometimes it does. A wonderful close-up of a child's face that fills the screen is so much more effective than a distant image - getting close provides bags of personality and character.
Another idea is to place your subject on the extreme of one side. This can draw you into an image. A popular choice for book publishers is to use half a face on a cover - it's visually very strong and creates a graphic result.
Photographing groups has its own set of challenges, the simplest guideline is to create a shape or a line within an image. A row of heads (vertically, horizontally or diagonally) works as they lead you in and out of an image. You can be guaranteed to find this kind of composition on cinema posters.
If you think about your composition it will become second nature, you'll take images and find that they follow certain patterns and you'll probably find that many comply with the rule of thirds. You may shoot lots of close-ups one day and then take a step back and try some candids. It's good to have the knowledge (and if you want to turn to professional photography, it'll mean you can always meet the needs of your customers) but nothing can beat the constant practice of getting out and just shooting!
