Photography can be a quick, easy way to capture and document a story, especially now with the prevalence of smart phones. Here are a few key concepts to help the beginning photographer!
Image Composition
Composition is what separates generic point-and-shoot photography from actual planned and thought out photography. Good photography doesn’t depend on the camera you have. It depends on your ability to compose a picture that says something to you and others.
To take a good photograph you must think of your subject, what is surrounding your subject, and where you position your subject and yourself in relation to your subject in order to take the picture.
Rule of Thirds
The rule of thirds is an essential technique for photography, film, and video making, and should be always applied to get a well-composed and balanced picture.
In order to apply the rule of thirds imagine or visualize that your image is divided into 9 equal segments by 2 vertical and 2 horizontal lines. Position most important elements in your scene along these lines, or at the points where they intersect:
Image by Trey Ratcliff: https://www.flickr.com/photos/stuckincustoms/1928559400/
Framing
Framing means to create a frame around your subject with the intention of enhancing the overall image and isolating your subject from the rest of the world. The subject then is placed only within the world of the image you are taking. The goal of framing, and framing properly, is to have a more focused image, which draws your eye naturally to the main point of interest:
Image by Sally Crossthwaite
Balance
While using the rule of thirds, and placing your subject off to a side makes for an interesting picture, be aware that this may leave some empty space on the other side of the image. It is recommendable that you balance the “weight” of your subject by having something of lesser importance on the other side:
Image by Shannon Kokoska
Source: http://www.photographymad.com/pages/view/10-top-photography-composition-rules
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