How do I compose a photo?

Rule #3 - Avoid symmetry, or look for symmetry!

Nothing is worse than a "centered" image. The best images are asymmetrical. But this is not an absolute rule. Sometimes, provided the effect is deliberate and correctly produced, symmetry can highlight the foreigness of a place or attract attention to a geometric element.



Figure 3: A small island

To show the perfect geometry of this island, symmetrical framing was needed.

Rule #4 - Be aware of force lines.

Force lines are like invisible structures that "support" the image. Your eye follows them, and they lead to the subject and make the image dynamic. In Figure 4, they are very evident: the straight line on which the worker is walking, the walkway between the road shoulder and the river. Notice that the balustrade recalls the curved pipe the man is carrying, in the form of a wrought iron bar. Another emphasis: the coiled hose on the ground, a counterpoint to the pipe being carried.



Figure 4: On the quays

Walking on a straight line while carrying a curved object: an unusual and pure composition.

Rule #5 - Look for basic shapes.

Almost everything we see can be reduced to a few basic shapes: line, quadrilateral and circle. When a subject contains easily identifiable geometric elements, correct framing almost invariably produces a great photo.



Figure 5: Easily identifiable shapes

This photo is interesting for the number of basic, rectangular and round shapes it contains.