Between having the rules of composition and then being able to break those rules, there’s so many ways to compose photos! I’ve been experimenting with a few compositions lately and here are my 4 favourites!
Let’s dig in! Here are my 4 favourite ways to compose my landscape photos:
- ISOLATING THE SUBJECT
- RULE OF THIRDS
- FOREGROUND INTEREST
- LEADING LINES
ISOLATING THE SUBJECT
I think I love these compositions so much because I find they truly bring attention to that I’m trying to capture. For example, see how the red leaf stands out in front of the background? A shallow depth of field helped me achieve this.
TIP: If I want to isolate the subject, I find the best lens to use is a telephoto lens so that I can zoom in on the subject and really pull it away from the background in the distance and create that background blur that I love so much!
With a telephoto lens, you don’t really need a large Aperture to create that beautiful soft background look. An Aperture like f/5.6 will do just fine. Just like this shot, taken with my Canon EF-S 18-135 Lens. The reason f/5.6 works is because just as longer focal lengths magnify the subject, they also magnify the soft background!
Another element that helped me isolate this little leaf was light. This little guy was in the sun while the water in the background was in the shade. Kudos to Mother Nature on this one!
RULE OF THIRDS
This is the first composition rule I learned and I like it because it’s easy! I don’t think there’s one type of composition that’s right for all shots but I find myself using this quite a lot at the moment.
TIP: Your camera can help you with this! On mine, I go to ‘Menu’ and then the first Live View option, then scroll down to ‘Grid Display’ and select ‘3×3’ like so:
Alright, so what does this photo pull your eye to? If it’s the tire, then yay! What I’ve done here is placed the tire in the intersecting lines that divide the photo into three slices horizontally and vertically. Check out this little sketch to see what I mean:
Using the rule of thirds creates more of an interactive photo. With images where the subject is not centered, you may find yourself lingering longer on the photo because you had to scan the image a bit to find the subject instead of seeing it smack dab in the middle and moving on.
By the way, if you happen to know this location and can tell me where the rest of this car is, I would be so happy to find it!
FOREGROUND INTEREST
I love using this technique when I want to include a subject in my landscape photos. My husband’s red jacket certainly helps with this one!
TIP: Thinking about the rule of thirds helps with this one too. Placing the subject in the foreground on the intersecting lines of the 3×3 grid helps create curiosity and allows your eye to roam around the photo.
Ooh and there’s one more thing.
If the subject happens to be a person and is facing the adjacent intersecting lines of the 3×3 grid, try placing a second point of interest there. This creates more of a connection with others because including a human element makes the photo more relatable. Almost as if you can visualize yourself being that guy looking towards those mountains in the distance.
I really love the greens in this photo. It was mid-day so the sun was washing out my blues and greens until I threaded the Polarizer on. Made a world of difference. I really should get my own instead of stealing mom’s!
LEADING LINES
Leading lines can be straight like railroad tracks or meandering like a river and to me, I love the challenge behind lining up my subject with what the lines are moving towards. It can be tricky!
TIP: Straight leading lines are easy to start with. Find a railroad track, or straight road, or a freshly cropped farmers field and play around with that. Just be very careful, some trains are nearly silent nowadays! But if you’re on Vancouver Island, there’s loads of tracks and beautiful trestle bridges but no trains! You could photograph for hours!
See how the road and trees are pointing towards my red jacketed husband? Tada!
P.S. I love the atmospheric perspective of the fog here. We almost didn’t go for a walk but I’m sure glad we did!
Well, there we have it! These are just my favourites for now. I’m sure as I progress, I’ll continue to have new favourites. So let’s get out there and practice some more!
Penny Walker
I am a Ringling School of Art alumni. Back in my day, there was no photography major…we used it as a tool. At least that’s what they referred it to. I have since gone into a totally different field, but am turning back to my roots. You have inspired me. I am not typically drawn to new school if there is no foundation in the old. I’ve developed my own black and whites, I’ve photographed with an oatmeal container, I’ve photographed completely manual. Please continue to show me your stuff. I am inspired. I want to learn the new stuff. Thanks.
Claire
What an honour to read. Thank you ever so much for your kind words. I just have to say you have inspired me as well. It has been a while, but reading this has given me that little flutter of happiness that I’ve missed so much. With all my heart, thank you.