Photo 101: Composing your photos

Today is our awesome monthly feature, Photo 101, which is all about photography!  It has been a big hit with you guys, and I am so happy to be answering your photo-related questions again and sharing a few tips along the way!!     Each month, we will talk about various topics.  So far, we’ve discussed:

taking great pictures with your iPhone

where to print you images

photo storage

and being a mom with a camera

Today, we are talking about composing your shot, and don’t worry!   We won’t get too technical here!   These will be some simple tips that you can use when setting up your photos for a more eye-catching or professional look!  If you are a visual person like me, then this graphic should be super helpful!

Here are my top 5 favorite composition tips!

Tip 1: Rule of Thirds

In the rule of thirds, photos are divided by using the grid shown above. Important compositional elements (your subject) are placed on or near the imaginary lines and where the lines intersect.  This creates more visual interests in the areas that the eye are naturally drawn to already. 🙂

Tip 2: Leading Lines

Leading lines are lines within an image that lead the eye to another point in the image. Anything with a definite line can be a leading line: Fences, bridges, even a shoreline can lead the eye.  I am a big fan of a good leading line!

Tip 3: Cropping

They always say that you want to get your composition right when you take your image….However, if you didn’t get what you wanted when you took the photo,  cropping allows you to recompose your images afterwards for maximum impact.

Tip 4: Point of View

 Point of view’ refers to the position of your camera when viewing a scene.   Playing with the POV can give you instant interest in an image.   Shooting from up high or from the ground gives a unique viewpoint and instantly creates a story!

Tip 5: Horizon Line

Placing the horizon high in the frame accentuates all of your details in the front of the image and enhances the sense of distance.  I love this for a moodier or introspective shot!   And, Horizons placed very low in the frame accentuate the subjects on the horizon.  For instance, I almost always place a horizon very low if I want to draw attention to someone  or something near my horizon line.  (Think a sunset, a rainbow, or even athletes on a sports sideline. :))

Now, tell me what you would like to see in our Photo 101 feature, y’all!!  I would love to know!   Just leave me a message in the comments!  Happy Thursday! XOXO Narci