Composition basics

Simple ways to arrange a frame so the eye knows where to go.

A few reliable tools

Rule of thirds places your subject off-center for a more dynamic frame. Leading lines guide the eye into the picture. Framing uses doorways or branches to wrap the subject. Use them as starting points, not laws.

Subtract, do not add

Strong photos often come from leaving things out. Decide what the picture is about, then remove anything in the frame that does not serve it.

See it

Example photo coming soon

The same subject framed a few ways: centered, on a third, and with a leading line, to compare the feel.

Try it

Pick one subject and shoot it five ways without moving on. The keeper is rarely the first, obvious frame.