This is one of the single most important aspects to master that will make you stand out head and shoulders above your peers when progressing in your photography.  It is one of those things that comes with time and experience; trial and error is the way to fine tune your images, as well as taking a little well-placed advice at the right times.

I hope that this can be one of those times for you, as I can impart a few basic tips that are the basic fundamentals of good composition in photography.  These are universally tried and tested techniques that are pleasing to the eye, create more impact and get your message across to the viewer.  Lets take a look at some of them.

The Rule of Thirds

There is a very good chance that, even if you have only a passing interest in photography, that you will have come across this phrase.  Indeed, many of today’s most basic cameras have a “Rule of Thirds Overlay” function that will place a tic-tac-toe-style grid over the image on your camera screen in order for you to frame the scene according to the rule.

The rule of thirds is very simple.  It is basically the notion that if you split the scene into thirds, both from top to bottom and left to right, the points of interest should lie on those sections that intersect.  The rule was first devised by artists when painting landscapes and it can be clearly seen in any good landscape painting or photograph.  One of the great masters of landscape photography, Ansel Adams, used the rule of thirds to spectacular effect in his images, if you want to check some of them out.

Ansel Adams I am not, but my own example below of a young boy playing football illustrates what I mean.  I kept him to the right of the frame about a third of the way in, instead of center-frame.  The addition of the indication of movement leads your eye to believe that he has just kicked a football off to the left, which was exactly the case here.

The most basic rule of splitting up the frame into thirds will help in producing more well-balanced images

Most of the other images here are examples of how the rule of thirds can be incorporated into most of the photographs you take.

Foreground Interest

One of the best ways of improving your landscape photos is to try and add an element of depth and scale to the scene.  This can be achieved by looking for items of interest in the foreground instead of focussing solely on the beautiful mountain range or sunset you are trying to capture.  The inclusion of a wide-angle lens for these kind of shots will really go a long way in helping you create some wonderfully interesting images that really look polished.  The wide-angle will exaggerate the perspective, making the foreground interest appear closer and larger than the background, enhancing the overall effect.

Try looking for interesting aspects in the foreground of your next landscape shots to add depth and drama

Try getting closer to the ground to include some interesting elements such as flowers, rocks and even wind-blown sand like my photo here.  An important thing to remember here is to use a small aperture that will keep everything from the foreground to the background in focus.  If there is not enough light around, you may need a tripod to avoid camera shake during the longer exposure times.

Lead-In Lines

This is a combination of-sorts of the previous two tips, and again can make your landscapes really stand out.  The trick is to look for natural lines that lead the eye through the frame and into the focal point of the scene.  Try looking for streams, paths or walls when considering how to shoot your next shot.  It is generally accepted (but by no means a hard and fast rule) that lines leading from the bottom-left of a frame usually work more effectively than those coming from the right.  But, like I say, this is open for debate.

Take a look at the snow scene here to see what I mean.  The trail leads you eye into the image and adds depth to it.  I combined this with the rule-of-thirds by placing the sun at the   intersection of the lines to create the final result.

Natural paths, hedges, rivers and walls can all help in leading the eye through the scene

So there you have a few basic tips on how to compose decent photographs that you can use in almost every shot.  If you keep these fundamentals in mind when you are taking your shots, you will soon see the improvement in your results.  Good luck!

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