Photography 101 - Simple Composition Rules for Fabulous Photos

Photography 101 - Simple Composition Rules for Fabulous Photos Basic Rules of Composition and other hints to make you a better photographer! I love photography.

And I love teaching people some basic photographic hints I have learned over the years to make my pictures better and more rewarding.

This card is a great example of how we see things but how, when we photograph them, it doesn't reflect what we see unles...
12/04/2024

This card is a great example of how we see things but how, when we photograph them, it doesn't reflect what we see unless we "adjust" our technique. Barrel Cactus have huge, stunningly beautiful flowers - some of the most beautiful in the plant kingdom. How we see them is how this wonderful artist from Zinnia Sky studios painted them! Our mind often sees beautiful things and exaggerates the beauty and size in our minds but our photographs don’t lie and don’t interpret them - they reflect reality! So how do we show how we see them in our photographs? Observe the photograph below - the fused, snowman-like chocolate cookies take up a far bigger chunk of the space in the photograph and are also much closer to the camera than the rest of the picture yet still show the baker. I LOVE chocolate chip cookies and this is how they looked to me! Do you have any examples of this in your photographic collection?

Having something in the foreground or background, not even something that is the highlight of the photo as I have sugges...
10/08/2024

Having something in the foreground or background, not even something that is the highlight of the photo as I have suggested for other landscapes (see previous posts) will give the primary subject of your photograph perspective as to it's relative size - in this case, HUGE! (See camper in distance in one picture and foreground rock in another.)

Were you ever in a beautiful spot, had the urge to take a picture, took it, and it just didn't capture the beauty and dr...
02/20/2023

Were you ever in a beautiful spot, had the urge to take a picture, took it, and it just didn't capture the beauty and dramatic nature of the place? This is particularly bad with cell phones because their lenses are such wide angle and they get in too much, thus diminishing the dramatic nature of the scene. One solution is to zoom in to capture the image. Simplify the photo. Don't try to get everything in the picture. Of course, the resolution will decrease with a phone because it is digital zoom, not optical zoom like a camera, but if you aren't going to print it, that's OK. This is Blacketts Ridge, in Sabino Canyon, Tucson, Arizona. It is a knife-edge ridge between two canyons, Sabino and Bear. Very steep and dramatic! Remember to use the rule of 1/3rds discussed in a previous post and in most landscape photography, put something in the foreground to give the picture perspective (also discussed below).

This photograph was taken with my phone. This photo breaks the 1/3 rule - it is more like a 50/50 rule (tree 1/2, trail ...
11/18/2021

This photograph was taken with my phone. This photo breaks the 1/3 rule - it is more like a 50/50 rule (tree 1/2, trail 1/2). But it works because both are of interest - the detail in the wood and the shadows on the trail. Both are equally part of the overall picture when viewed as approaching it. The sky, though, does follow my "just a smidge" rule - the sky isn't 1/3 of the picture because it doesn't deserve that much credit - it isn't the purpose of the photograph. But it does play a vital role in giving the whole picture perspective. The pine trees in the background also help with perspective. If I might quote a well-known saying, "Don't shoot what it looks like, shoot what it feels like." When I hike this trail and approach "the prayer tree" as some call it, this picture is what it feels like.

Sometimes when you see scenery that is huge and vast, it is hard to capture it. In the first picture, the rocks at the b...
11/19/2020

Sometimes when you see scenery that is huge and vast, it is hard to capture it. In the first picture, the rocks at the bottom of the picture kind of give the picture some dimension. Something needs to be in the foreground of nature shots to give it perspective (discussed in a previous post). But another way to capture even more of the size of the topography around you is the 2nd picture. Include something not just in the foreground but in the picture - with the vastness in the background. Make sure the foreground image is reasonably close.

Many times when you take a picture of an uphill section, it doesn't look uphill! It doesn't look as steep as the massive...
11/08/2020

Many times when you take a picture of an uphill section, it doesn't look uphill! It doesn't look as steep as the massive, Everest-sized hill you just climbed! What do you need to do to make it look as steep as it really is, look like the picture on the left? Look at the picture on the right - it looks like it could be going down or up. The key is to hold your camera or phone perpendicular to the ground (straight forward) - don't point it up the hill or down the hill - that makes the topography look flat. When going uphill, use something in the foreground to show perspective and to represent the surrounding topography (see this in previous post). Same with downhill even though it is a little more difficult since pointing straight ahead means the trail or hill will be in the lower part of the picture. Trees can help fill the frame. (Click each of the picture to see the full effect.)

If you are going to take a picture of a sunrise or sunset, put something in the picture that gives it perspective. I cal...
07/15/2020

If you are going to take a picture of a sunrise or sunset, put something in the picture that gives it perspective. I call this the rule of 1/8ths. Since the subject is going to be very bright, the perspective is going to be dark - but that is OK ... all you really need is an outline of something to give the sky perspective. In this picture, the lake is a nice touch because the sunrise lights it up. It may give at a little more perspective than if the whole thing was dark. CLICK THE PICTURE TO SEE ENTIRE IMAGE.

Unique photographic angles can add some pizazz to a photograph. Always be looking for a different angle than you would ...
07/01/2020

Unique photographic angles can add some pizazz to a photograph. Always be looking for a different angle than you would normally shoot. Do you also notice the rule of 1/3rds used here?

On first viewing, this pictures seems to break every rule in the book. Breaking rules can sometimes produce amazing pict...
02/20/2019

On first viewing, this pictures seems to break every rule in the book. Breaking rules can sometimes produce amazing pictures - I broke all the rules when I started my company, Botanical Interests, and succeeded because of that. Rules are a GREAT way to start learning how to compose and I suggest to use them whenever you can. But I digress. Seemingly breaking the rules, upon further review, this picture DOES follow rules! 1) the rock in the foreground follows the rule that landscapes should have something in the foreground for perspective (and something that ties into the landscape). In a way, everything but the sky IS the foreground - highlighting the sky! 2) the cactus are about 1/3 the way from the left - following the rules of thirds. 3) Even though not clear cut, the sky covers about 2/3 of the picture. (This was taken in Sabino Canyon, Tucson, Arizona).

Sometimes a vertical picture of something horizontal gives it more depth and is more dramatic than the horizontal versio...
02/17/2019

Sometimes a vertical picture of something horizontal gives it more depth and is more dramatic than the horizontal version. If the foreground is tall as in this case, it allows you to see more of the foreground detail this making it a more interesting picture. When taking photos, try both to see which you like the best. (The At Home store in Longmont, Colorado.)

One of my favorite rules of photography - and one of the rules that will significantly improve your nature/landscape pho...
02/08/2019

One of my favorite rules of photography - and one of the rules that will significantly improve your nature/landscape photos is to include something in the foreground in your nature shots - something that is prevalent in the environment, something that reflects the character of the environment, and probably most important, something that gives the picture perspective. When placing the object in your picture, remember to use the rule of 1/3rds (discussed in previous posts).

The rule of thirds does work. In this picture, just a straight-on shot might have been boring and wouldn't have shown th...
01/13/2019

The rule of thirds does work. In this picture, just a straight-on shot might have been boring and wouldn't have shown the slope of the mountain. In this photo, I used the rule of thirds on both sides of the photo - on the left side of the photo, the top of the slope was 1/3 the way from the top and in the right side of the photo, the slope was 1/3 the way from the bottom. Also notice that the main subject, the masssive Saguaro cactus, are 1/3 the way from the left side of the picture.

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