How do you learn composition?

Epiphany

Epiphany

Messages
54
Edit My Images
Yes
I have been watching videos on youtube and reading books, but was wondering if anyone had advice on good resources for this?

I've heard art being recommended although that's pretty generic and not really sure where to start that would be helpful to me. I really like landscape photography so I was thinking that perhaps getting some books by cornish and adams, and studying their photographs might be the best way to learn?

Any thoughts?
 
I'm afraid that my thoughts are that composition is something best done naturally by you 'having an eye' for photography and art generally.

It pains me to read crits on TP, especially by the birders, that judge a photo by how closely it follows the rigid grid lines of what's called 'thirds'. There are lots of abstract factors which create a pleasing balance - Strong colour/texture areas, which parts are sharp focus and which aren't, etc etc.

Just do what you find satisfying to look at and don't fall into the trap of being rigid and judging all pictures by that criteria - Those who do, don't 'have the eye' and have to rely on such a scientific approach. Just my opinion.

Oh, and when you shoot landscapes make sure you horizon is level. Many camera viewfinders have either a level display or grid.
 
Last edited:
The Freeman book that @gad-westy mentions is a good one, but the most important thing is to look at and think about images. Decide what it is that makes some images work for you and others not. There are some "rules" (e.g."rule of thirds") but these are guides at best, for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men as the saying goes..
 
I believe it can be learned. I taught myself through read books, studying others photographs, then years of experimentation and practice (the most important bit IMO). That's what worked for me anyway. I'm sure that some people somehow have a natural inclination for it, that doesn't mean that as a skill it can't be develped and improved.

The Michael Freeman book is a good buy, I'll recommend it also.
 
I agree, it certainly can be learned, after all there are rules of composition so at the very least you can learn and adhere to those. Maybe practising and mastering the rules is a good first step, then when comfortable with those, you can experiment with breaking them. Along the way you will naturally develop your own preferences in style.

Just dont get that hung up on things that it detracts from your desire to take photos.
 
I'd go with "Perception and Imaging" (Zakia), "The Story or Art" (Gombrich) and "Examples - the making of 40 images" (Adams).
 
Lots of good advice above. I would also encourage you to join a local camera club. I have found so much stimulation, motivation and ideas at meetings. Members are always wiling to exchange views and external speakers can provide you with new dimensions that can add to your existing experience
 
honestly... id go one with one only... a rectangular piece of card with a window cut out ( ( like one of those 6 x 4 cardboard photoframes ). simpliest of things but when viewing a landscape it can sometimes be hard to "see" what your missing.
you could use your hands but the piece of card is something easy enough to have in your camera bag or pocket.
hold it up to the scene and move it around adjusting and visualising, looking at whats outside the frame too.
heck if you have an old slide mount frame for 35mm negs then perfect
http://www.kirpi.it/Photo/Learn-photography-composition-with-just-an-old-slide-mount
 
Just to agree with much of what has been posted already - there are a number of books which are a reasonable starting point (Michael Freeman's as linked to is one of the commonly recommended ones), and you end up with a lot of 'rules' - which are in fact simply guidelines which often give a reasonable composition - the trick is then figuring out, for any given scene, which (if any) you want to apply.
 
Try and learn to look at pictures as a whole, how the eye works through or around their structure, that light and shade, colour and tone are as important constituents as shapes and lines, that 'gesture' can make all the difference between success and failure, that balance and tension are there to be used, that negative space isn't always a bad thing.

Two good tricks for sussing out if your pictures work compositionally, or why they don't, are to squint at them so they become a blur, and to reverse them (turn them upside down or look at them in a mirror).

If you get stuck with a composition slap the subject smack in the middle of the frame and give two fingers to anyone who says you should have put it on a third!
 
I've rarely heard rule of thirds term used in the bird section and never use it myself when giving advice. There are however many who don't have a clue about what makes a well composed wildlife shot. General rule is to leave more space to the side of the frame the subject is facing, flying, swimming, walking, running etc etc into. Sometimes the grid in PP is useful as a guide but I never use it these days, preferring to judge the composition by eye.
 
Remember there are often other places to get the same photograph from as well so don't confine yourself to one spot, moving even a little to left or right can make all the difference
 
Thanks a lot for the response everyone, can't reply to every post.

I'll pick up a copy of Freeman's book on Amazon then. I understand that photography is about having an eye so to speak (often find myself doing a double take when out and about then try and find the image that is there), but I want to learn the ideas and concepts that can help me be more creative and give my images more meaning/feeling. The rules are there to be broken, but I need to learn them first.

I'll continue getting plenty of practice and I'll try cropping more as a way of learning pleasing compositions.

Great to hear different points of view on the subject. All posts considered even if I didn't mention. Thanks again.
 
Just like reading a lot of good literature will improve your writing by familiarising you with how good writing flows; the only way to really learn composition is to immerse yourself in good photography of many different genres and styles. You won't become great at composition through this alone; but you will slowly develop an instinct of what works for you, what works for different styles and themes and intentions, and what works for the masses. So, first, look at lots of photographs. Make it a habit. Visit exhibitions. Buy a few books of photography (as opposed to textbooks) of styles and artists that interest you. You'll also obviously need to practice and be honestly critical about your own work. Accessible books on compositional theory like those mentioned above (Freeman's "The Photographer's Eye/Mind/Vision" series is good) will help consolidate your ideas and thinking about composition, but they shouldn't be followed like rule books.
Ignore anyone who bangs on about the rule of thirds and whatnot as if they are literally "rules" that must be followed. At best, they are rules of thumb that will help provide balance to SOME common sorts of scenes.

There's no easy recipe to follow for good composition. It's an art. A "badly" composed photograph can often reinforce a theme by being jarring or uncomfortable, if that's what the theme demands. Millions of perfectly balanced and composed photographs are deathly dull, and a lot of those are outright cliches.
 
Last edited:
one thing not sure thats been mentioned. next time you go to shoot a landscape.. switch off EVERYTHING AUTO.
set your ISO manually ( 100 is pretty much the norm for outdoor but dont be afraid to go ISO 1600 if you wish )
set your aperture manually, set your shutter manually.., choose your white balance and even give manual focus a try.
turn off IS if using a lens that has it ) pop your camera on a tripod and you'll find youve just slowed down the shooting process by a good bit of time allowing you to see beyond the viewfinder , take in the finer details, look for that slightly different angle or posiition. ( try shooting low down on tripod and use live mode too.)
and finally one word thats always key... look at the light and where its coming from ( and similarlily the shadows too ) . an amazing landscape can be ruined simply because of poor light.
 
Another vital factor in understanding composition is to be able to predict how the lens will see the subject, for example a telephoto lens will give a completely different perspective to a wide angle lens. Foreshortening of a subject can be very useful. Whilst foreground interest can be exploited with a wide angle lens. There are classic rules in photography and it's good to know them, once you know them you can break them. At times they have their uses. At other times the can be restrictive. Photograph your subject as you want it to look, don't worry about anybody else.
 
I shoot manual as is, but I have never turned VR off. I will now though. Seems it can have quite a negative impact on IQ when on and the camera doesn't need it.

Thanks for the tip. I will continue trying to work the scene more.
 
Composition is one of the things that creates an individual style (amongst others) so I have a real problem with "rules" of composition. I'd rather just look at a great deal of work by people acknowledged to be good at what they do, and decide what works best for you. If you deviate from the norm, you'll always get criticised by those who stick to convention, and if you listen to that crit, you'll just turn into versions of them,

Break rules. Understand what these 'rules' are supposed to be doing, and then decide for yourself.
 
Pookeyhead said:
Composition is one of the things that creates an individual style (amongst others) so I have a real problem with "rules" of composition. I'd rather just look at a great deal of work by people acknowledged to be good at what they do, and decide what works best for you. If you deviate from the norm, you'll always get criticised by those who stick to convention, and if you listen to that crit, you'll just turn into versions of them,

Break rules. Understand what these 'rules' are supposed to be doing, and then decide for yourself.
Click to expand...

I hear you. Style is what I wish to develop.

Thanks.
 
Epiphany said:
I hear you. Style is what I wish to develop.
Thanks.
Click to expand...


....When I was a working professional Art Director based in London (I am now retired, but hardwired) I directed a lot of work with a pro who specialises in architectural photography and studio still life shots. He has become a very good friend (I am staying with his family in London next weekend) and I recently saw one of his shots of a Deer in Richmond Park - I immediately recognised the shot was his because of his typical style of composition (when I'm not directing him!). But don't ask me to analyse or intellectualise about his style!

However, in developing an individual style, always keep an open mind and don't let the tail wag the dog. Also bear in mind that nothing is original.

I am now an amateur wildlife photographer who is glad simply to capture the moment and achieve sharp focus on moving subjects but I find that a sense of composition becomes fluid and natural without spending much time consciously thinking about it. With wildlife how I crop in post-processing is usually when I consider composition in more detail.

The best advice in my opinion is from David @Pookeyhead ....

Pookeyhead said:
Composition is one of the things that creates an individual style (amongst others) so I have a real problem with "rules" of composition. I'd rather just look at a great deal of work by people acknowledged to be good at what they do, and decide what works best for you. If you deviate from the norm, you'll always get criticised by those who stick to convention, and if you listen to that crit, you'll just turn into versions of them,

Break rules. Understand what these 'rules' are supposed to be doing, and then decide for yourself.
Click to expand...
 
viewfromthenorth said:
I believe it can be learned. I taught myself through read books, studying others photographs, then years of experimentation and practice (the most important bit IMO). That's what worked for me anyway. I'm sure that some people somehow have a natural inclination for it, that doesn't mean that as a skill it can't be develped and improved.

The Michael Freeman book is a good buy, I'll recommend it also.
Click to expand...

I agree. I didn't understand it at all until I studied it. The advise of ignoring the rules is not good advise in my opinion. Learning the basics will give you the foundation and only then will you understand how to break the rules to add your personal artistic view.
 
Epiphany said:
I have been watching videos on youtube and reading books, but was wondering if anyone had advice on good resources for this?

I've heard art being recommended although that's pretty generic and not really sure where to start that would be helpful to me. I really like landscape photography so I was thinking that perhaps getting some books by cornish and adams, and studying their photographs might be the best way to learn?

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...


Hi , What part of the country are you in ? maybe try a go out with a more advanced member for a day
 
Two things:

1. The best point that the Freeman book make (IME) is that to compose well, one needs to ask two questions while photographing
- What am I drawn to in this scene?
- How to I represent or provoke that in my photograph?

My paraphrasing may be off, but these are excellent questions. When I ask myself I'm often coming up with colour, space, a feeling, a memory, and the questions also help me learn what I cannot yet achieve with my skills (evoking a memory with a photo, for example, is a bit beyond me atm).

2. Analysing images you admire or, better yet, images you wish you'd taken in a style you'd be proud of is an excellent way to develop an eye. I have a folder on my computer and 3-4 times a week I'll look at an image I'm jealous of and talk out loud about what I'm seeing and what makes it good.

Please take this advice with a grain of salt - I'm learning and am still fairly bad, but these two things have helped me immensely.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top