12 Composition Techniques in Photography for Better Design

Composition is a fundamental principle in both photography and design. By selecting and arranging visual elements in a frame, designers can create engaging and aesthetically pleasing designs. A good understanding of photography composition can help designers create designs that effectively communicate their intended message and capture the viewer's attention. In this tutorial, we'll explore the 12 most popular photography composition rules and how designers can apply them to their work, emphasizing the importance of good composition in creating visually appealing images.

Understanding Photography Composition

Photography composition is the art of arranging visual elements within a frame to create a visually appealing image. It involves making decisions about what to include and exclude from the frame, and how to arrange the elements to create a balanced and harmonious composition. Understanding photography composition is essential for creating effective photographs that capture the viewer’s attention and convey the intended message. By mastering this art, photographers can transform ordinary scenes into extraordinary images that resonate with viewers.

What is Composition in Photography?

Composition in photography refers to the arrangement of visual elements within a frame to create a visually appealing image. It involves considering the placement of subjects, negative space, and other visual elements to create a balanced and harmonious composition. A well-composed photograph guides the viewer’s eye through the image, highlighting the main subjects and creating a sense of order and beauty. Whether you’re capturing a bustling cityscape or a serene landscape, understanding composition is key to creating impactful photographs.

Composition Techniques

Composition techniques are guidelines used to create a visually appealing image. They can be used to create a sense of balance and harmony, to draw the viewer’s attention to the main subject, and to create a sense of movement and flow. By applying these techniques, photographers can enhance their images and make them more engaging and memorable. From the rule of thirds to the use of leading lines, these techniques provide a framework for creating stunning compositions.

The rule of thirds

The rule of thirds is one of the most well-known photography guidelines. It involves dividing your image into 9 imaginary segments with two vertical and two horizontal lines. The intersections of these lines and the lines themselves define the most important areas of your photo composition. A key aspect of this technique is the focal point, which guides the viewer's attention toward the main subject of the image. When taking a photo, imagine that the shot is divided into thirds and try to position elements along the grid lines and at their intersections. Doing this will result in well-balanced and eye-catching photographs. Some cameras even have a setting that overlays a grid over the image, helping photographers compose their pictures with less effort.

If you missed the perfect photo op, don't worry — you can always crop your images with the rule of thirds effect.

🧠Pro Tip: The rule of thirds, among other compositional techniques, has applications in design, too, that you can explore in our Working with Composition lesson.

Golden ratio

Art and creativity aren't always chaotic and disorderly — the golden ratio (also known as the golden section, golden mean, or divine proportion) is proof of it. Imagine a line cut into two pieces of different lengths. The golden ratio is accomplished when the ratio of the longer segment to the shorter segment equals the ratio of the whole segment to that of the longer segment. To denote this number (~1.618), people agreed to use the Greek letter phi (φ).

The golden ratio has been known for a long time, and many architects and artists have used it in their work to produce well-balanced, natural-looking stunning masterpieces. The Egyptian pyramids, Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, and the Apple logo are all built on this principle.

In photography, artists use a golden spiral to create eye-pleasing compositions. The spiral is a series of squares that follow the magic golden ratio. You can find the arc swirling through the frame in many natural forms, like seashells or flowers — this is probably why people find such patterns in photography or design so appealing.

To use the golden ratio in your photography, place the most detailed element of your composition in the smallest box and ensure the area of visual interest doesn't go beyond the curve. This scheme allows you to lead the viewer’s eye around the image in a natural flow and create eye-capturing photos.

Framing

Most composition rules aim at drawing viewers' attention to the most important parts of the image — and the framing rule is no exception. Framing is about using scene elements, like arches, windows, doorways, walls, or foliage, to create a frame within your photo. This technique adds a sense of depth and helps direct viewers' attention to focal points.

Framing allows viewers to peek behind the scenes and learn more about the image's story. For example, pulled-back curtains or partially closed doors may create a mood of mystery or privacy. If you're having trouble finding inspiration with natural frames, take a different perspective and create frames with objects around you, like a ring or a picture frame.

Leading lines

The leading lines technique is all in the name — it's about capturing lines that lead viewers' eyes through the image and directing their attention to the essential elements. Leading lines can be anything from your surroundings — paths, roads, fences, bridges, trees, rivers, or sun rays. Additionally, placing important elements along or near a horizontal line can enhance the balance and overall appeal of an image, drawing the viewer's eye effectively across the frame.

When you're taking a photo, look around and examine the scene for straight or curved linear elements.

With leading lines, you can:

• Create depth and perspective
• Direct your viewers' gaze from one part of the picture to another
• Place the subject at the intersection of lines to highlight it and bring it into the focus of viewers' attention

Center your subject

According to the rule of thirds, you should avoid placing subjects in the center. However, there are times when setting an element in the center of a composition can result in a surprisingly perfect symmetrical image. For example, a centered composition can create a sense of greatness around the subject and make it the highlight of your viewers' attention.

A subject that is too small or too large may tilt the balance of your composition. Keep an eye on surrounding elements and adjust their proportions if they overpower the subject's visual weight.

Look for triangles

The fascinating thing about triangles is how they can be both stable and unstable, depending on where they're pointing. When taking a photo, look around for possible triangles, like buildings or bridges. The objects don't even need to have a triangular shape — you can imply triangles in composition using any 3 points of interest in a photo that aren't on the same line. Compositions based on downward triangles tend to convey tension and dynamism, while upward-triangle compositions communicate confidence and solidness.

Triangles also help group elements and implement the rule of leading lines, focusing viewers' attention on the lines' intersections, which can enhance the clarity and impact of the focal point.

Symmetry

We can observe symmetry in nature — in flower petals, starfish, seashells, or snowflakes. In photography, symmetry appears when parts of your composition mirror each other. People associate symmetry with proportion and balance and get drawn to comforting, visually perfect, and harmonious pictures.

The most basic symmetry type is bilateral symmetry, which occurs when the composition is divided horizontally or vertically into two mirrored parts. To create it, imagine a horizontal or vertical line at the center of your composition and make sure two halves of the scene look the same and balance each other.

Radial symmetry implies more than two symmetric parts. It's often associated with ripples and involves the repetition of the same pattern in rounds to capture the viewer’s attention.

Diagonal lines

While straight vertical and horizontal lines make an impression of confidence and stability, diagonals create a feeling of disbalance, tension, and motion. Images that use diagonal compositions feel more dynamic, with emphasized perspective and a sense of depth. A good composition often involves balancing these elements to create visually appealing images.

There are several ways to introduce diagonals in your photography:

• Using actual diagonal lines (roads, architecture)
• Aligning objects along an imaginary diagonal line in a shot
• Creating diagonals with the camera's viewport

Diagonal lines can also function as leading lines and draw viewers' attention to a prominent point in the picture.

Curves

While straight lines convey movement, curved lines have the opposite effect of slowing the photograph down and creating the feeling of time passing by. Curves can also lead viewers to the point of interest in a scene and generally appear more graceful and peaceful than other types of lines. Curved lines that swirl back and forth have a mesmerizing, almost hypnotic effect on viewers. The world is full of these kinds of lines — hills, sea waves, roads and trails, trees and flowers, cloth folds — you'll notice them once you start seeking them. Arrange curved lines according to the rule of thirds to make the subject look more prominent. Incorporating a leading line can further enhance the composition by guiding the viewer's eye through the photograph.

Invisible lines

Many things in photography remain subtle for the sake of art. For this reason, lines in a scene don't have to be actual lines like a road, the seashore, or a tree branch. You can create implied or invisible lines by arranging similar elements in a line, like pebbles on a beach or the shoal of fish, and let the mind draw the rest.

Some common examples of invisible lines include:

• A repetition of elements, like trees, light posts, stars, people in a queue, etc.
• A person's gaze or a pointing finger that makes us unconsciously look in the same direction

Implied horizontal lines make the composition look stable and harmonious — for example, think of an alley of trees. Diagonals suggest motion and energy — think of an airplane taking off toward the sky. Curved lines create a mood of peace, grace, and beauty — for example, a hilled landscape or a lily flower.

Combine both visible and invisible lines in your composition to create a more complicated and intriguing photograph.

Negative space

Negative space, ironically, has a very positive effect on photo composition. Leaving a lot of white or negative space around your subject creates a sense of simplicity and minimalism. Large unoccupied spans of "air" create a space to move for a subject in motion. White space also draws viewers in and creates a strong focus on the main subject without distractions. Such images produce powerful emotions of greatness, as well as loneliness and solitude.

Photographers often portray negative space using sky, water, or land. However, negative space doesn't mean other elements can’t be present in a scene. The idea is that they shouldn't distract viewers from the subject.

Playing around with proportions and using a small object, like a human figure or an animal, against ample negative space may result in a stunning photo that draws the viewer’s eye.

Interaction

A good photo captures a moment. A brilliant photo tells a story: what happened before the photographer took the picture, what happened at the moment of the shot, and what will happen after.

Adding interactions between subjects, whether people or objects, makes viewers feel present in the moment, like being a part of the scene. Interaction comes in many forms: physical touch, eye contact, looking in the same direction, and moving toward or away from one another, among many others.

Fill the Frame and Simplify

Filling the frame with the subject and simplifying the composition can help to create a more visually appealing image. This technique involves getting in close to the subject and removing distracting elements from the frame. By filling the frame with the subject, the viewer’s attention is focused on the main subject, and the composition is simplified. This approach not only highlights the subject but also eliminates any unnecessary clutter, resulting in a clean and impactful image.

Contrast and Color

Contrast and color are powerful composition techniques that can be used to create a visually appealing image. Contrast can be used to create a sense of drama and tension, while color can be used to create a sense of mood and atmosphere. By using contrasting colors and tones, the viewer’s attention can be drawn to the main subject, and the composition can be made more interesting. Whether it’s the stark contrast between light and shadow or the vibrant hues of a sunset, these elements can add depth and emotion to your photographs.

By applying these principles, such as using a leading line to guide the viewer's eye through the composition, you can create visually compelling designs that capture attention and effectively convey your message. Experiment with these techniques to find what best suits your creative style.