Composition177 articles

Rule of thirds? Leading lines? The Fibonacci spiral? Learn it all with our deep archive of photography composition tips for beginner, intermediate and pro photographers.

Composition Tips with an 85mm Lens for Portraits

Composition Tips with an 85mm Lens for Portraits

Shooting at 85mm is quite popular among portrait photographers due to the perspective it provides, the subject isolation and the beautiful compression. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that using an 85mm lens automatically gives you fabulous results. You’ll still need to take care of the other variables, such as composition, lighting and the subject’s pose. […]

Continue Reading

Purposeful Horizon Placement in Photo Compositions

Purposeful Horizon Placement in Photo Compositions

Did you know that where you place the horizon within your photos can have a dramatic effect on the feeling of your images? Of course, it’s our job as photographers to take photos. However, it goes deeper than that—it is also our job tell interesting stories with each photo we capture. What do I mean? […]

Continue Reading

The Dynamics of Diagonal Lines

The Dynamics of Diagonal Lines

Diagonal lines are used by photographers to lead a viewer’s eyes to a particular spot in the composition. This spot is often the subject or very near the subject. Create Visual Tension Visual tension is created by a diagonal line. This tension is heightened when it intersects with other lines or other vital elements in […]

Continue Reading

How to Capture Leading Lines That Work

How to Capture Leading Lines That Work

Leading lines are a “first try” composition tool for many photographers when they attempt to consciously compose a photograph. The reason for this is that they’re often easily spotted within a scene. Leading lines can be comprised of physical objects, colors, and/or areas of contrast. There are two common mistakes and one common misconception when […]

Continue Reading

Photography Composition Mastery Guide

Photography Composition Mastery Guide

In this 182-page eBook, photographer Ignacio Palacios shares his expertise and insights on the art of composition in photography. The book is designed for photographers of all skill levels and is packed with original photos and illustrations to help readers understand and apply the concepts and techniques covered. Peek inside: 10 Ingredients of Composition Mastery […]

Continue Reading

How to Improve Your Photography Composition with Any Camera

How to Improve Your Photography Composition with Any Camera

Composition has the power to make or break your photos. Photographer Marcin Lewandowski demonstrates in this short video: Camera technology has evolved at a mind-boggling pace over the last few years. So much so that even the simplest of cameras on the market will outmatch a professional model from not so long ago. But the objective of […]

Continue Reading

Interesting Photo of the Day: Sand Dune Composition

Interesting Photo of the Day: Sand Dune Composition

Curves and fractals are an intricate part of nature. But where you happen upon them as a photographer may surprise you. The Namib Desert is known for its “otherworldly” distinctive red, sandy dunes, which almost look like those on Mars. Around 5 million years old, we can only imagine these dunes have taken on every […]

Continue Reading

How to Create Powerful Photos Through Balance

How to Create Powerful Photos Through Balance

This article is based on concepts from The Advanced Composition Guide which is currently 78% off if you want to dig deeper for further training. In the physical world, it’s pretty easy to understand the concept of balance. In the photography world, the concept of balance is a bit more muddled. Balance within photography is […]

Continue Reading

Landscape Photography Compositional Tips

Landscape Photography Compositional Tips

For almost two centuries, landscapes have been arguably one of the most beloved photography subjects. From lofty mountains to quaint flower gardens, moving waves and tides to starry skies, we’ve all marveled at just such a scene… be it in person or in the form of an image! In this video tutorial, master landscape photographer […]

Continue Reading

Using Photography Composition Templates

Using Photography Composition Templates

When doing photography in general, and in my case, travel photography, the use of a photography template can be very beneficial and help improve overall performance. By photography template, I mean pre-defined, well-known and efficient photography composition templates that are recurrent and relevant in photography and fit popular “good taste.” Knowing your usual and favorite […]

Continue Reading