How to Take Good Pictures – Composition is Key

People ask me for advice all the time on how to take good pictures. It is really not as hard as what most people think. I have even taken pictures right after a friend of mine did and I used his point and shoot camera to shoot the same scene that he just shot but from a different perspective. He agreed that mine turned out better, but I think he was a little mad at me.

The biggest problem most people have is that they do not spend enough time thinking about the composition of the scene. They do not take the time to really see what is going on in the shot, what is going to show up in the frame or even clearly defining what the subject is.

Here are a few photography composition tip that shot how to take good pictures:

Natural Frames – Is there anything around that can offer a natural frame for your subject but not distract from the scene. For portraits, windows work very well. For landscapes, an opening in a tree or even shooting out of a window can really draw attention to and clarify the subject. There are many natural frames around. Think creatively, you will see them.

Rule of Thirds – This is an oldie but goodie. Divide your scene up into nine equal squares like a tic-tac-tow board. Items of interest should be located where the lines intersect. Natural vertical or horizontal lines should be located on a corresponding vertical or horizontal line of the grid. The point here is for the scent to be a little off set to bring a bit of drama to the balance.

Define the Subject – Ever see those vacation pictures where you can barely recognize the person because the photographer tried to get a big background into the picture? Was the subject the person or landscape? To keep the viewer from guessing what the subject is try to shoot portraits and landscapes separate. If you just have to mix them, set up to take the landscape and then have the person step into it but close enough to the camera to recognize them.

Lead in Lines – Look around and see if there are any natural lines that go from the foreground and towards the subject. These natural lead in lines help lead the viewers eyes into the picture to eventually come to rest on what the subject is or can be used to bring more depth to a landscape.

Clear the Clutter – Take a moment to see if there is anything in the background that is visually distracting. These things drew the viewer’s eyes away from the subject. If the distractions can be removed then remove them. If they cannot be removed then try shooting from a different perspective.

I hope these composition tips on how to take good pictures have been helpful.