What is “Composition”?




The term “composition” applies not only to visual arts, but to music, dance, literature and

virtually any other kind of art. In certain contexts, such as writing, this term may not be as

widely used, but is just as valid nonetheless. In general, the term “composition” has two

distinctive, yet related meanings.

First and foremost, “composition” describes placement of relative objects and elements in a

work of art. Consequently, composition is a key aspect of a good work of art. There is hardly a

way to overemphasize the importance of composition. Any aspiring artist ought to give

composition of his work a lot of attention. A good composition is one that has just enough

detail. Too few elements is bad because it robs the work of art of necessary detail that makes

correct interpretation possible. It also ruins the balance of an image. And too many elements

can be very distracting as well. Good composition requires good balance. It is best to make sure

all the elements present are necessary for the idea or story you are trying to pass on.

In some cases, composition can mean the work of art itself and is a synonymous to that term.

For example, when talking about a specific installation or dance, a phrase “This composition…”

can be used. Such a definition also widely applies to music (creators of which are known as

composers) and paintings.


Composition of photography

Now that we know the general definition of the term “composition”, it is not too hard to figure

out its meaning in photography. Simply put, composing an image means arranging elements

within it in a way that suits the core idea or goal of your work best. Arranging elements can be

done by actually moving the objects or subjects. A good example for this case is portrait or still

life photography. Street photography involves anticipation, since the photographer doesn’t

usually have the choice of moving his subjects himself, but has to wait for them to take the

most suitable position within the frame. Another way of arranging elements is by changing your

own position. Such a way is appropriate in circumstances that do not allow the photographer to

physically move anything, like landscape photography.

Composition is a way of guiding the viewer’s eye towards the most important elements of your

work, sometimes – in a very specific order. A good composition can help make a masterpiece

even out of the dullest objects and subjects in the plainest of environments. On the other hand,

a bad composition can ruin a photograph completely, despite how interesting the subject may

be. A poorly judged composition is also not something you can usually fix in post-processing,

unlike simple and common exposure or white balance errors. Cropping can sometimes save an

image, but only when tighter framing and removal of certain portions of the image is the

correct solution. That is why giving your choice of composition plenty of thought before

capturing an image is a step of utmost importance.

Focal length, aperture, angle at which you choose to position your camera relative to your

subject also greatly affects composition. For example, choosing a wider aperture will blur the

background and foreground, effectively lessening the importance of objects placed in there. It


will also more often than not result in more noticeable corner shading, which will help keep

viewer’s eye inside the frame for longer. On the other hand, closing down the aperture will

bring more objects into focus which, in turn, may result in better image balance. How so? Well,

“sharper”, more in-focus objects may attract more attention than a blurry shape, but not

always (see image sample below). An experienced photographer will use all the available means

to achieve the desired result. It is worth noting that de-focusing objects in the foreground or

background does not negate their contribution to overall composition of the image. Simple

shapes, tones, shadows, highlights, colors are all strong elements of composition. Take a look at

the below image. Despite the fact that part of a wall showing in the foreground is completely

out of focus, it is the most vivid part of the photograph as well as being quite bright. For this

reason, it attracts our attention much more than the main subject (man with the tea cup and

his Siberian Husky hiding in shadows). The bright yellow rectangle is the first thing you see

when you glance at the photograph. A good and obvious way to fix this would be to reduce the

vividness and luminance of yellow using Light room’s HSL panel (although I actually like the

contrast between the two parts of the photograph).

We will discuss color, tone and other composition elements in more detail in upcoming

Mastering Composition series articles.

Composing an image eventually becomes a very natural process. With enough practice – mind

you, there can never be too much of such a thing – you will not even have to think about the

placement of those elements. Your subconscious will do it for you. Your fingers will dial correct

settings, your eye will guide the framing. Poor composition will instantly appear unnatural and

just plain wrong to you. The more experience you have, the better choices you will make. Best

way to grow as a photographer is not to rush your decisions and not trust your subconscious

unquestionably, but to learn new ways of composing your image. Not that you shouldn’t trust

your guts – you should, of course. But make sure to also give it some thought, experiment, take

a few shots and analyze them during post-processing. See what works best, try to understand

why and then experiment some more. 

Various composition of Photography

1. Rule of Thirds

That there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to composition and then the first thing I

write about is the ‘rule’ of thirds. In my deference, I didn’t come up with the name. The rule of

thirds is very simple. You divide the frame into 9 equal rectangles, 3 across and 3 down as

illustrated below. Many camera manufacturers have actually included the capability to display

this grid in live view mode. Check your camera’s manual to see how to turn on this feature.

The idea is to place the important element(s) of the scene along one or more of the lines or

where the lines intersect. We have a natural tendency to want to place the main subject in the

middle. Placing it off center using the rule of thirds will more often than not lead to a more

attractive composition.


WHAT IS THE RULE OF THIRDS IN PHOTOGRAPHY

The rule of thirds is one of the most common rules in photography, and one of the easiest to

learn and to use successfully. To understand and use the rule of thirds, simply break up an

image into thirds both horizontally and vertically, as seen here. The four intersection points of

these lines, and the four lines themselves, are where subjects, or strong compositional lines of a

photograph, can be placed to create a strong, balanced image.


Some images use more than one point or line of the rule of thirds, while others
will only apply a single line or point to their composition, and let other elements in
the image fall wherever they may.

EXAMPLES OF PHOTOGRAPHS THAT USE THE RULE OF THIRDS






How and when to break the rule of thirds

Of all the “rules” in photography, the rule of thirds is one of the easiest to
successfully break. Framing an image so that subjects or lines don’t fall on the
rule of thirds areas can still create a successful image, as long as the lines and
other elements in the image create a strong overall image and capture the
viewer’s eye using other methods such as leading lines, contrast, color,
symmetry, etc. Many photographs however, even though they do not appear to have
intentionally followed the rule of thirds very strongly, may still apply the rule in an
approximate manner. In other words, many photographers use the rule of thirds
without even thinking about it, or before they even know it is a “rule”!