Photographic composition is an important concept so that you can organize and structure your photos according to the message, emotions, and story that you want to convey to people.

In this article, we will explain some techniques that will make all the difference for the composition of your photos.

Composition and the arts

The term composition is widely used when referring to several artistic manifestations, such as paintings, music, photography, dance, and even literature.

In general, composition in the arts is related to Position of the elements and objects in a piece, creating meaning and transmitting the message/idea of the artist or idea.

Therefore, we can conclude that composition is one of the most important elements within the arts and should be used with caution. The balance of the composition, that is, the quantity and position of the objects, is important for creating a unique piece of art.

An unbalanced composition may not draw people's attention to the focus of the piece, while creating a communication gap between artist and observers.

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The photographic composition

Photographic composition is one of Foundations of a good photograph. It is responsible for guiding the eyes of the observer, following a thoughtful order among all the elements of the photo.

In this sense, the composition is responsible for Tell the story of the photo and convey the message exactly as the photographers intended it.

Therefore, photographic composition is also about the positioning of the photographers and the objects to capture the photo. Part of the job is to know where to place each element, to determine what and how it will be photographed.

Therefore, there are several techniques, concepts and tips for making a good photographic composition. Later in this text, we will address all of these important issues.

For now, we leave a question for reflection:

What is a good photographic composition?

Because of the great importance of composition in photography, we may be left with this question hammering in the head.

What is a good photographic composition?

First of all, it is important to remember that photography is a visual art. Being considered an art, the concept of good and bad is very relative and depends on many factors, which go beyond the techniques used.

That said, a good photographic composition can be considered one that has a poise perfect between the elements and techniques, aligned with the message of the photographer, to awaken specific emotions in the audience.

At the same time, a composition can be interesting without us being able to say why, simply because it is. That aspect intangible that's what makes the art of photography intriguing.

However, it is not possible to rely solely on this artistic instinct when capturing the photos. It is important to have knowledge about the elements and techniques so that the photographic composition can be constructed in a thoughtful and intentional way.

Elements of photographic composition

Keeping in mind that photographic composition is important to guide the eyes of observers, drawing their attention to areas of interest, there are some fundamental elements that photographers need to know to better structure their photos. They are:

• Points;
• Lines;
• Shapes;
• Textures;
• Color;
• Shades;
• Distance;
• Balance;
• Spaces;
• Standards.

1) Points

The dots represent areas of interest and are responsible for building the structure of the photo.

In this sense, dots attract people's attention and are generally the first place they look at in a photographic composition.

However, dots don't have to be literally dots. They can be the meeting of areas of interest, as well as the place where two lines intersect, or just a prominent place in the photo.

In the example below, we can see that the dots in the photo are the tops of the trees; they are the first place where our eyes rest our attention.

2) Lines

Lines are another fundamental element in photographic composition and are used to Guide the eyes by the photo.

If dots demonstrate areas of interest, the lines connect each of those areas, telling the story of the photo in a way logical.

Like dots, lines aren't literally lines—or they don't have to be. Any element that connects two points can be considered a line.

In the example above, in addition to the street itself acting as a line, leading our eyes to the buildings in the background (points/areas of interest), we also have the top of the sidewalk buildings, drawing lines in perspective to the same area of interest.

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3) Shapes

Shapes are slightly more complex elements of photographic composition than lines and dots.

In a photograph, shapes can be any object or set of objects that are intended Attract attention of people and compose the structure of photography.

In the example above, the object itself - building - is the shape of the photographic composition, a rectangle.

However, the shapes may be less concrete and more abstract, such as the circular shape of a wave, for example.

4) Textures

Textures bring more thrill for photographic composition and may only be a complement to an object, or be the main subject of the photo.

In general, textures tend to attract a lot of attention and should be used with a lot prudence so as not to distract the audience. In this sense, textures can bring complexity to the photo if used more aggressively, or only complement the main topic addressed by the photographer.

In the photo above, the sand texture is one of the main elements of the photo. In the example below, the fog texture works more as a complement to the main theme.

5) Color

There is no denying that the cores they play an important role in photographs. Here, it is also worth highlighting the black and white photos, which have another type of appeal precisely because of the “lack” of color.

The colors have Different meanings and they can bring various types of emotions to the photos and to those who observe them.

Therefore, it is important to understand the colors of the objects that will compose your photo, in order to get the most out of each emotion and meaning that they will bring to the viewer.

In the photo above, red is the featured color. A bright color that evokes a certain amount of aggressiveness and excitement.

Other colors have other moods, such as green and blue, cool colors. They bring the opposite feelings to red, a warm color.

Below, the blue brings a sense of tranquility and calm. Therefore, it is always important to take into account the message to be conveyed with the photo and which colors best align with it, in your photographic composition.

6) Tonality

The hue is also related to the colors of the photos and their photographic composition. But in addition to this, it also relates to contrast, highlights and shadows.

Like colors, tonality contributes to the intent and message of the photo. In addition, they help highlight points of interest and contribute to flow of attention of those who observe.

Although tonality adjustments can be made in post-production programs, such as Photoshop, thinking about this element at the time of capture is important to intensify the meaning and message of the photo.

The photo above shows a very strong contrast between the mountains in the background and the forest. The idea was to take our eyes to the points of interest and, in this sense, clearer regions tend to attract more attention.

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7) Distance

The element of distance in photographic composition is literally the physical interval between two objects in the photograph.

If the distance is too short, the objects come into conflict and the result can be a conflicting and complex message. At the same time, as we place more and more objects, space is getting smaller and smaller and the issue of distance is becoming more complicated to work on.

In these cases, whoever captures the photograph can Move to find the best angle with distances that make the most sense for the message you want to convey.

8) Visual balance and weight

Visual weight is related to Amount of attention that each object has in the photo, in the photographic composition.

As a result, balance is about having a balancing between the attention of the objects, so that the photo is stable, visually speaking.

However, understanding what balance is does not mean that its use is mandatory in photographs. O Imbalance brings other emotions and it can be a good tool to convey the desired idea to the audience.

It's always good to remember that in the arts, breaking rules is also a rule.

In the photo above, we have an example of symmetry, which is when the visual weights of the photo are completely balanced.

Visual weights compounding an imbalance in photographic composition bring complexity and appeal to other meanings and messages.

9) Positive and negative spaces

Spaces should not be confused with the element of distance in photographic composition.

Spaces are the parts of the photo that receive more or less attention, being positive when they have more attention and visual weight; and negative when they have less attention and visual weight.

Photographs with more positive spaces are more complex and more “full”, while those with more negative spaces give the feeling of emptiness.

In the example below, there are more negative spaces than positive spaces:

10) Standards

Patterns refer to visual elements that are repeated artificially — as in architectural works — or naturally — such as the feathers of a bird.

Just like the textures, the patterns They bring more emotion and attention in the eyes of the audience. Therefore, most of the time, the patterns will indicate a major point of interest in the photo.

In the example below, a natural pattern.

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Alignments in photographic composition

Another important aspect to consider in photographic composition is the direction and overall alignment of the photo.

In this sense, there are 4 types of composition:

1. Horizontal;
2. Vertical;
3. Diagonal;
4. Circular

1) Horizontal

The horizontal composition is composed of horizontal lines, such as the one at sunset, or the line that “separates” the sea from the sky, for example.

As a rule, this type of composition brings more calm, stable and calm emotions to the audience.

2) Vertical

Following the same logic, vertical photographic composition is based on a structure based on vertical lines.

Unlike horizontal composition, vertical lines cause more agitated emotions, of growth, and authority.

In general, a vertical composition is captured in portrait mode, while a horizontal composition is captured in landscape mode.

However, that's not a rule. The important thing is to understand which format best suits the interests and intentions of photography.

3) Diagonal

With almost the same intentions as the vertical one, the diagonal composition brings more dynamism and movement for the photograph.

In this structure, the lines intersect and create points of interest to attract the attention of those who are watching. In addition, diagonal lines are also important for creating depth and perspective in the composition.

4) Circular

The circular composition features harmony and balance for the photographs. In addition, circular shapes tend to attract more people's attention and give movement to the composition.

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Other photographic composition techniques

Photographic composition is a very complex subject involving several concepts and techniques.

In this sense, in addition to the points already presented in this text, there are other fundamental techniques to improve the photographic composition of your work:

• Rule of Thirds;
• Space rule;
• Triangular Composition
• Odd rule;
• Golden Ratios;
• Framework;
• Depth and layers.

Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds is one of the most common and well-known even by non-photography professionals. For this reason, it is sometimes considered as an amateur technique.

This technique consists of Divide the frame into 9 equal squares, forming 3 thirds, with two horizontal lines and two vertical lines.

The rule of thirds is so well known that any camera and even smartphone has this type of grid in the settings.

The idea is that the intersections between the lines that form the thirds are Guides for positioning areas of interest from your photo.

This rule works for any type of photograph and for any direction, whether portrait or landscape.

Space rule

The space rule applies a lot when you have a moving object in your photo.

In this sense, it is important to leave a space in front of the object, giving breathing space so that the observer can see the path that still needs to be taken.

But of course every rule can be broken, especially when it comes to photographic composition. If the intention is to give tension and an emotional appeal to the photo, you don't have to work with the space rule.

Triangular Composition

When we talk about elements of photographic composition, we point out that shapes are important to attract people's attention.

In this sense, it should be noted that the triangle is the most popular shape in photographic compositions.

Triangular composition is a technique in which the framing is divided by one diagonal line and two other smaller lines, forming 4 triangles.

As with the rule of thirds, the areas of interest should preferably lie at the points where the lines of the triangles intersect.

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Odd Rule

The odd rule says that different numbers attract more people's attention.

While even numbers give a feeling of symmetry and stability, working with odd numbers brings a interesting imbalance for photographic composition.

Thus, using the number of objects to attract the audience's attention is a very interesting technique.

Golden Ratios

The golden ratios are the golden proportions of photographic compositions. That is, they are Mathematical proportions that help to put together a more harmonious composition.

There are two types of golden ratios most used in photography:

• Golden Grid;
• Fibonacci.

The Golden Grid is quite similar to the rule of thirds, but instead of dividing the frame into 9 equal squares, the Golden Grid has the middle squares slightly narrower than the others.

Fibonacci, on the other hand, is a Circular aspect ratio. Although it may seem a bit strange at first, circular shapes are very common in nature. Therefore, applying Fibonacci to photographs can bring more naturalness and good aesthetics to your composition.

Framework

There are several framing techniques that can be used in your photographic composition.

An interesting one is that of sub-framing, in which you place a secondary frame to the actual frame of your photo. If you were a little confused, a picture is worth a thousand words, isn't it?

Notice that the photo frames an aperture that works as another frame. A purposeful sub-framework.

In the example above, this type of framework is more evident. But it is possible to work on this technique in a more subtle way.

In this other example, the branches of the tree form a type of frame to draw attention to the mountain in the background.

The idea of framing is to always place in evidentiary the photograph's object of interest.

Depth and layers

Another interesting technique is the introduction of layers in your photographic composition, using different distances and creating depth.

The object and point of interest can be either in the foreground, in the middle, or in the background. Everything will depend on the intention and the message we want to send.

In the example above, the background is the buildings out of focus and the foreground the cup.

Incorporating photographic composition

If you've come this far, you may have been startled by the amount of elements, techniques, and concepts we present here. And in fact, there's a lot more to learn besides the ones we've written here.

However, hold back the anxiety! You don't have to learn everything to take good photos and put together good photographic compositions.

The theoretical basis is important, but it is necessary practising. So, study the theories that you found most interesting first and try to apply them.

The practice, in addition to getting you used to the theory, helps to perfect your look at the photos and, with this, you incorporate more and more techniques into your style.

Remember that a photo goes beyond aesthetics, so study the techniques to even be able to break the rules and convey the message and story you want.