What would you say is the most important thing in a good photograph?
Colors? Idea and expression? Sharpness? Perspective?
Well, since there are no “right and wrong” everyone is right, but in my book one of the most important thing is definitely composition. It’s the same in almost every art form, but since in photography you don’t always have time to plan the situation in details, composition becomes a very important skill in your decision making.
I never learned photography in the “old fashion” way of school or teachers, and my composition skills have developed by my own sense of intuitive point of view. It’s only later that I diagnosed the decision making I made without thinking about it. I want to share with you what I learned, and maybe in a way – help you diagnose your own decisions.
I have no intention of mentioning all the different approaches to composition, you can add to this as much as you want. I only want to make my own beliefs prioritized and organized here.

General statement
There are many things to think about while deciding on a composition (that you have a split of a second to think about). That means that you have to realize all the parameters in a spontaneous way, without breaking it down like I do here. What do I mean?
You have to consider all the lines in the frame, you have to consider the dynamics of movement, the direction, the things outside the frame, the Depth of field you are using…
It’s impossible to forecast everything. What makes a good photographer skillful is deciding on the right composition, without thinking about it. In my opinion, you have to add something to all I mentioned – be original. Don’t go with the composition you feel comfortable with.. explore different options while being aware of what you want to show with the photo – that would be forever yours.





The subject
What's the photo about?
To make it clear is the first thing you have to consider while thinking of the composition. It should be very obvious with a single glance to every viewer what the photograph is "about". That doesn’t mean the subject should be in the middle of the frame, not at all. That means that you should build your whole composition while being aware to what is the subject. You can lead to it with graphic lines, focus, angle, negative space, colors, and lighting.

Tip: The subject maybe something that you can’t even see in the photograph. Think about it.



Leading the viewer
How the viewer's eye is lead from one part of the photograph to another?
One way to give flow to a photograph is to use lines. They can be horizontal, vertical, diagonal, converging or diverging lines. This will create the illusion of motion (or lack of motion if so desired). Diagonal, converging or diverging lines are considered to be "dynamic" while horizontal and vertical lines are considered to be "static". A careful balance of dynamic and static elements will give an overall sense of motion to your photographs. You should also consider the direction of leading the eye. If you place someone watching to the right, on the right side of the photo, you loose the leading of the viewer and create a sense of something missing. You should leave some space for the movement in the frame. Use perspective to draw the eye or use it to give a point of view and create the illusion the viewer is on the scene.

Tip: If you place the subject in the middle of the frame, it’s much harder to lead the eye to him and the photo might become flat.



Perspective and proportions
You want to show something is far, something is huge?
Think of proportions, of scale. The viewer must be feeling what you feel while you are “out there”. If you shoot a wonderful sunset and you want to show how huge the sky looks, you have to include something in the frame to give scale. Without it the feeling can’t be transformed. If you can show something repetitive in the frame you will get good dynamics to the frame, but you will also get a sense of perspective. Using this is one of the things I really love to do.

Tip: If you have the ability to control light and composition – you are a master in technique. Think of using light in your composition to get a silhouette or a nice lighting that shows the difference between your foreground and background and help the feeling of depth or scale.



Rule of 3rds
I've been told there's something psychologically appealing about groups of 3's.
I used this rule in my work, without even knowing.. I just knew I shouldn’t center my work. The eye goes to the center as default. If you satisfy the viewer right at the beginning, you lost the chance to lead him inside a good photograph.
In the rule of Thirds we play around that center, placing objects a point about two-thirds up a page. Crop your photo so that the main subjects are located around one of the intersection points rather than in the center of the image. Divide your frame to 9 even squares and imagine the points where the lines meet.
For example in landscapes you can apply the rule of thirds when you place your horizon line one-third up from the bottom, leaving the sky to take up the top two-thirds of the picture.

Tip: Don’t use a tilted horizon line… That can always make a good photo look amateur. Align the horizon line with something straight in the frame.



Negative Space
Basically a large areas of empty space in the frame. Psychologically, we humans want to fill that space with our imagination (kind of like a cartoon thought balloon). Use it in a minimalist frame, or to give the frame a more “dreamy” touch.

Tip: A busy frame with lots of details on one side, and negative space on the other is not good. It will break the order and destroy the feeling of balance. Use negative space in minimal compositions.



Framing
If you can find a way to naturally frame your shot, do it. That adds a wonderful sense of order to it. Look for things such as doorways, bridges, signs and other things to frame your subject under. It gives a sense of perspective and intimacy to the image.

Tip: A door, the way you close in on a face, branches of trees, buildings on the side of the road…



Balance
Sometimes keeping the balance is the greatest thing in a photograph, and sometimes, it’s exactly the opposite. Be aware and think about the meaning of balance in your frame. It could help create a sense of illusion (when it’s not balanced), or just make it classy (when there is a good balance).

Tip: Use the rule of the thirds to put a lot of weight on one side, but always look for someone to balance it of the opposite third of the frame.



Cutting the details
Sometimes you cut important details in the frame not on purpose.. That’s very bad. The viewer always knows when it was on purpose. Think of what you cut and how. Sometimes you have to cut and crop things (sometimes you want to), just think of the best way to do it.

Tip: I love using intentionally cropping of details in portraits… It makes a face look much more interesting, and allows to zoom in to the details.