Rules of Composition

“There are 3 rules for great photography, unfortunately, no one knows what they are- there is no prescription.” John Sexton

First, I have a confession to make. I have never been one to break rules. As a child, I did what I was told, colored within the lines, passed my homework in on time, and was home by my curfew. Other than my first two years in college (we won’t go there! lol) I have always been a rule follower. Even as an adult, I only drive a little bit over the speed limit, I am always on time and meet my deadlines and I never run with scissors! I’m sure the fact that I am teaching a class on rule breaking is highly amusing to my older brother.

But, when it comes to my photography, the longer I shoot, the less I feel compelled to follow rules. I am more open to experimentation, stretching myself, and welcome the occasional happy accident. Now when I am shooting, I’m not thinking about rules, but, rather, what I want to express in a particular image, and what I see and feel in a subject.

Breaking the Rules of Photography 1 Kathleen Clemons "Now to consult the rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of gravitation before going for a walk. Such rules and laws are deduced from the accomplished fact; they are the products of reflection.." - Edward Weston

The First Rule: There are NO Rules

Most of the rules of photography are meant to be broken. Once you have mastered these rules, they should simply become tools, or guidelines which you can combine with your creative eye and personal expression to produce the final result. There are always new and exciting ways to see things, don’t let rules define your vision for your photos.

As a beginner, one of your goals was to master these rules. Once you have mastered the fundamentals, you are ready to move beyond them. You’ve studied hard, shot hundreds and hundreds of images, know the rules and how to apply them to your images, but your pictures sometimes lack that something extra, that “pop”. It’s time to take those rules, turn them upside down, combine them in new ways, or reject them entirely- it’s all up to you, the artist. If you see a shot that has great creative potential, but would break some of the rules, forget the rules and take the shot! In this way, your approach to your work will be from a creative perspective, rather than a cookbook recipe type style which gives you acceptable results, but little else, and doesn’t express your style, or what you want the photo to say. Knowing when to disregard the rules comes with experience, but the results can be dramatic, rewarding, and help you to develop a personal style.

“The so-called ‘rules’ of photographic composition are, in my opinion, invalid, irrelevant and immaterial.” Ansel Adams

Let’s start with my favorite rule to break, the Rule of Thirds.

A quick review-

The Rule of Thirds is a principle of design dating back to ancient Greece which calls for you to divide your image into three equal parts and compose the scene in thirds. Take any image and imagine drawing four lines across it. Draw two lines on the horizontal axis and two lines on the vertical axis, each line one-third of the distance from the edge, similar to a tic-tac-toe game. When composing your scene, you position your point of interest or subject at one of the four places where these lines intersect.

Breaking the Rules of Photography 2 Kathleen Clemons Breaking the Rules of Photography 3 Kathleen Clemons Some photographers look at photos which do not follow this rule and immediately question or discard any photo which places the main subject anywhere else in the frame such as at the edges, or even smack in the middle, no matter what the impact of this composition. To some photographers, this is a hard and fast absolute, rather than a guideline. I’ve seen this happen at photography competition judging. But if you blindly follow the concept that only specific rules achieve the best result, you are really restricting yourself. Interesting and creative results won’t always be achieved following a fixed set of compositional rules.

This is an image I shot with my very first digital camera.The camera was an early Sony, and used floppy disks. I had just started shooting, and sunrises were my only subject. (Not a bad subject to begin with, it taught me much about the quality of light and how quickly it can change). When I began to really study photography and learned about the Rule of Thirds I saw this image as a failure. It wasn’t until I became more sure of myself as a photographer that I realized how wrong that was. I’m so glad I didn’t delete the file! This image is now framed and hangs in my studio, as a reminder of how I started on this photographic journey, and proof that successful images can be made without following any set rule.

Breaking the Rules of Photography 4 Kathleen Clemons I shot this bridge with the Rule of Thirds in mind, and also did one where the horizon is more centered. That was the version I found to be the most appealing.

Breaking the Rules of Photography 5 Kathleen Clemons I shot this Fourth of July swag at both thirds, and centered. I like both versions.

Breaking the Rules of Photography 6 Kathleen Clemons I have a photographer friend that hates the Rule of Thirds so much that she has developed her own rule, which she has named the “Rule of Halves”. She shoots lots of sunrises and sunsets over a lake near her house, and says she should not have to decide whether to crop a beautiful sky, or an equally beautiful reflection. They are both very important to her. She often places her horizon line right in the middle, and says it’s better for her mental health! Her images are often stunningly beautiful, and I admire her for shooting what she loves, and knowing when a rule doesn’t work for her.

Sometimes a horizon line which divides an image in half works! Really look at the scene. When shooting a landscape, what elements deserve the most attention and “weight” in your composition? Try more sky, less land/water, less sky with more land/water, and if you feel they deserve equal recognition, feel free to center that horizon line. Look at your results, see what works for you. There’s no need to let a rule limit your compositional choices.

Breaking the Rules of Photography 7 Kathleen Clemons Breaking the Rules of Photography 8 Kathleen Clemons The Golden Rule (Or Golden Mean)

This rule is another rule from ancient Greece, it became popular when it was rediscovered during the Renaissance by the Masters. The Golden Rule states that the most important area of an image is located near the bottom right corner of the image, approximately one quarter of the image height up and one quarter of the image width to the left. The theory behind this rule is that we “read” images the same way we read written text, from left to right and top to bottom, ending at the bottom right of the page. Ending at this spot holds our attention the longest because we either stop, or pause before turning to the next page (or photo).

Once I spent a day shooting with a group of photographers who had just returned from a lecture by a pro who strongly embraced this rule. The pro had told them that it was “all about the lower right corner”, and that is how they composed everything they shot that day, regardless of whether or nor it suited the scene, the subject, or what they were trying to express. That’s just silly! As with the Rule of Thirds, the Golden Mean often makes for an excellent composition, I place my subject in the lower right area often because I do find it visually appealing, but not ALWAYS. There are no absolutes when it comes to composition.

I want you to experiment with these rules. Shoot a given subject in each of the four “sweet spots” created by the Rule of Thirds, and shoot it smack in the middle as well. Look at your results, and pick the one you find to be the most visually appealing. You need to experiment, to try new compositions to really work a scene. Shoot many versions of a given subject, really work it.

Breaking the Rules of Photography 9 Kathleen Clemons Breaking the Rules of Photography 10 Kathleen Clemons Rule: Never Center Your Image.

Supposedly, centered images (often called bulls eye compositions) create a static subject. Not always! You can make a successful image with a centered subject, but you need a strong subject when you do so, because it needs to carry the image. I break this rule often when I shoot single flower portraits. For those compositions, I usually want my subject to be the entire point of interest. Notice that I say “usually”, because again, you must make a decision for each and every composition. No formulas allowed!

Breaking the Rules of Photography 11 Kathleen Clemons Breaking the Rules of Photography 12 Kathleen Clemons Breaking the Rules of Photography 13 Kathleen Clemons Breaking the Rules of Photography 14 Kathleen Clemons Breaking the Rules of Photography 15 Kathleen Clemons Sometimes I like to place my main subject only slightly off-center:

Breaking the Rules of Photography 16 Kathleen Clemons Breaking the Rules of Photography 17 Kathleen Clemons Breaking the Rules of Photography 18 Kathleen Clemons Breaking the Rules of Photography 19 Kathleen Clemons Rule: Keep Your Horizon Straight at All Times

Most of the time, this is a darn good rule. A slight drop in a horizon line looks like an unintentional mistake and something I find extremely distracting in a photograph, especially landscapes. But if you go all the way and really tilt it you create a strong diagonal line and a very creative look to your image. Try it and see!

Breaking the Rules of Photography 20 Kathleen Clemons Breaking the Rules of Photography 21 Kathleen Clemons Think about diagonals when you are shooting subjects besides landscapes as well. When you are ‘working it” and shooting horizontals and verticals of your subject, (you are shooting both, right? ), twist that camera and try some diagonals. Give yourself as many options as possible! I am a big fan of diagonal images, they can add zing to an otherwise static subject.

More fun with diagonals:

Breaking the Rules of Photography 22 Kathleen Clemons Breaking the Rules of Photography 23 Kathleen Clemons Rule: Fill the Frame

Photographers are often advised to move closer to their subjects in order to fill the image frame because too much negative space around a subject will lesson the photo’s impact. This rule works well when what you are trying to say is expressed primarily through your point of interest. But it doesn’t work if what you are trying to say is expressed by a relationship between your point of interest and the surrounding space. If you are shooting an animal, you may want to back up and show habitat, or the environment of a particular flower, or something about your subject’s surroundings. You may want to use a small subject with a large surrounding area to show scale. Sometimes the empty area is what the story is all about. So, the size of your subject in the frame should be determined by what you are trying to say, not by any rule! If in doubt, shoot both ways, work it!

Breaking the Rules of Photography 24 Kathleen Clemons Breaking the Rules of Photography 25 Kathleen Clemons Breaking the Rules of Photography 26 Kathleen Clemons Breaking the Rules of Photography 27 Kathleen Clemons “There are no rules and regulations for perfect composition. If there were we would be able to put all the information into a computer and would come out with a masterpiece. We know that's impossible. You have to compose by the seat of your pants.”. -Arnold Newman

Breaking the Rules of Photography 28 Kathleen Clemons Okay, one more thing before I send you off with the assignment.... please don’t do major cropping! This is one rule I don’t break. Learning to get the shot you want in the camera, not on the computer, will make you a better photographer. You will have to work a little harder, but the benefits greatly outweigh the work. Plus, if you are considering a career in stock photography or just want to be able to make large prints, you need all of your pixels.

Your assignment:

Break some rules!

1. Try breaking the rule of thirds. Choose a subject and shoot it in each of the four “sweet spots” and also smack in the middle of the frame. Look at all of your results together and choose your favorite. It may well be the one that follows the rule, but at least you will start considering other options.

2. Play with your horizon line. Try a major tilt to create strong diagonals, and experiment with placing it right in the middle of the frame. If there is equal visual weight in the subject in both the top and bottom halves.

3. Experiment with negative space and also filling the frame. Find a subject are really work it. Start wide and gradually move in, with more of your subject and less of the surroundings as you shoot. Let the amount of space around your subject be determined by the story you want to tell about it. If it needs background for context, show me. If it doesn’t, get closer. Try a Bullseye composition too. Show me your favorite.

“The mystery isn’t in the technique, it’s in each of us”. Harry Callahan

Happy Shooting!

Ka!leen

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