Taking Better Pictures with composition (Wedding Photographer Dayton Ohio)

When I was younger, I wanted to take pictures of everything--my friends, family, special moments. And, of course, I wanted every picture to be perfect. I bought expensive film, used expensive printing paper, and, let’s not forget, I practiced like crazy. Today I use expensive equipment, expensive printing paper...and I still practice like a crazy lady. Even though technology is changing, one thing remains the same: The rules of the game. Those rules can become stale to even the most highly acclaimed photographers if they do not practice. The best part is everyone knows good composition when they see it. The problem is most do not think about it when they look through the view finder of their camera. Following are some quick tips about composition:



1. PATTERNS - Any pattern will do, breaking up the pattern with a subject can be a real eye popper too!

2. TEXTURE - Texture can have the effect of making a picture look 3D which really makes it come alive.

3. SYMMETRY - A symmetrical shot is a great way to lead the eye to meet your subject. Symmetry can be a very powerful tool.

4. DEPTH OF FIELD - Probably one of my favorites, depth of field can help you isolate your subject by blurring out the foreground or background. You need to understand your camera in manual mode to use this tool to its best advantage.

5. LINES - Lines are really great to use when framing your subject--ensure the line is not shooting out of someone’s head.

The brick pattern and lines lead you into the image and the depth of field really isolates the woman in this image!

Now that I have told you about composition, your job is to get out there and practice finding these tools and using them to your advantage to really make your images pop. Try not to use them all at once and have fun!
Would you like an in-depth post on one of these composition tools or a post on lighting? Let us know in the comments below!