Spring into Action: Composition & Perspective Photo Tips

I’ve seen photographs taken with great cameras. They have fabulous colors, perfect exposure and maybe even amazing lighting. But they look ordinary. Why? They lack two big things: composition and perspective. These are two of the easiest photo tips you can implement using only your creativity and your eyes. No fancy cameras or technical know-how is required.

Composition

Place your subject in one of the red intersections.
Photo Credit: Digital Photography School.

To compose or frame your shot, you need to look through your viewfinder or LCD to see what your camera sees. Then you deliberately place your subject somewhere in the shot. It takes more thought than snapping the picture. While there are many composition rules (all of which may be broken), there is one that doesn’t take a huge amount of thought and humans are programmed to love.

If you’re into any art, you may have heard of The Rule of Thirds. It is this: cut the canvas into thirds diagonally and horizontally. The intersecting sections are the “sweet spots” and ideally your subject will fall in or near one of the four intersections.

I took this photo of my kids playing in the backyard over the weekend with my first generation iPhone (aka not the best camera known to man). My older son was balancing himself on the slide and I carefully lined up my shot to try to get him in the upper left-hand “sweet spot”.

(The rest of the photo was to be empty space, but my younger son ran into the frame as I was taking the picture. It was a happy accident because it gave the shot a counterpoint and balanced it out a bit.)

No doubt, even without the happy accident, this shot is more interesting than if I’d placed him squarely in the center of the photo. While a centered subject can make an interesting photo, it’s usually best to avoid the straight-on centered snapshots.

But…. I Forgot to Compose my Shot

Really, that’s okay too. It’s super easy to crop your photograph after it’s shot. While it’s ideal to compose your shot in the camera, it’s easy to forget or be too caught up in capturing a fleeting moment to think about where you’re placing your subject in the frame.

Cropping’s been around since the dawn of photography. It’s the act of cutting the sides off your photo until it’s framed the way you want to present it. Digitally, you’re likely more familiar with drawing a box inside your photo to cut off the sides and crop it.

Most cameras and computers and even some cell phone camera programs come with simple editing tools that allow you to apply a crop. In many programs, the crop tool looks like this: and is extremely easy to apply.

Tomorrow we’ll be covering more about free online editing resources, so if you’re not sure what to use for cropping or other simple edits, be sure to come back!

Perspective

If you want your photographs to go beyond just a snapshot, make them TELL A STORY. How can you tell a story? By assuming a different character. In order to do that with your photography, you need to change your perspective.

Perspective requires more thought than composition as you need to get right in the camera. Before you take your shot, think about what story you’re trying to tell. Who’s telling the story? What’s their viewpoint? Thinking about a shot from the perspective of any number of things can lead to a world of interesting photographs.

Yes, it can get kind of dirty or uncomfortable positioning your body to get a shot that matches your vision. Like playing a sport, that’s part of the fun of photography and the payoff is with a winning photo.

Here are a few tips and examples of ways you can change your everyday perspective of the subject.

Tip 1: Get Down Low

If you’re taking pictures of flowers, pets, children or anything else that is low to the ground, get low to the ground. The world looks different when you’re sitting, kneeling or on your belly.

Tip 2: Look Up

If you’re photographing something tall, instead of standing back and trying to get it all in the shot, why not get close and look up?

Tip 3: From the Side

This is one of my favorite techniques, especially when repetition is involved. Instead of a head-on snapshot, position yourself to the side of the subject, get close in and shoot.

Tip 4: Look Down

The opposite of looking up at something: look straight down. This is an excellent way to tell the story from your point of view. Alternatively, try grabbing a chair or ladder and telling the story from a bird’s eye view.

Think, Then Click

Use your creativity to construct your photograph. Don’t just click away. If you have the time, take a moment to artistically frame your subject. Figure out what perspective would be best. Only then, click. Click again and again and test out different compositions and perspectives.

Practice by photographing every day objects from a new and unique perspective. The more you practice, the quicker you’ll be able to make these decisions when you only have a few seconds to get it right.

A Photography Challenge!

Photograph a subject using a variety of compositions and perspectives. (Don’t move it. Move yourself.) Take at least 20 photos, more is fine. This may sound like a lot, but once you start framing and clicking you’ll see it isn’t. You should be able to complete this challenge within 5-30 minutes.

Tomorrow we’ll cover a little about photo editing and ask you to show us your favorites. In the meantime, feel free to share anything with a thoughtful composition or unique perspective in our Flickr Group!

Don’t forget to join in our conversation on the forums to discuss more about composition and perspective and share examples.

The SITS Spring into Action Photo Challenge is a two week event designed to inspire your photography and help improve your blog with photos. Follow along in our Forums, #SITSPics on Twitter, our Flickr group and Facebook! It’s never too late to jump in!

• Introduction: Join the Spring into Action Photo Challenge!
• Day 1: Composition and Perspective Photo Tips
• Day 2: Free Photo Editing and Collage Resources
• Day 3: Lighting Photo Tips
• Day 4: Social Networking Tips
• Day 5: YOUR Photo Tips
• Day 6: Lines and Repetition Photo Tips
• Day 7: Five Image Tips to Improve Your Blog
• Day 8: Color and Contrast Photo Tips
• Day 9: How to Protect Your Photos Online
• Day 10: Spring Into Action Photo Challenge Wrap-Up