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Basic Photography Composition Techniques

Basic Photography Composition Techniques

Are you a photographer struggling with creating the look you want with your images? You may just need a few tips to help you compose your photos to create successful results. You can change the composition of your photos by simply moving your position when shooting, zooming in or out with your lens, and of course, by paying close attention to the elements of the scene you are including or excluding from the frame. Understanding the following basic compositional techniques will help you get the results you want.

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Centered and Symmetrical
Symmetrical images of buildings, or of mirrored images are perfect for a centered composition. You just want to make sure the line of symmetry runs through the very center of the frame. Roads with a bright yellow double line running down the middle make a great subject for a centered composition.

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Including Foreground
Back up, or zoom out a little with your Nikon camera and lenses from Beachcamera.com to include some foreground interest in a scene. This technique will give the image a more 3D effect. Use a wide-angle lens to get the best results when adding foreground to your images.

Framing the Subject
Including a ‘frame within the frame’ in your composition is an effective way of achieving depth in an image. When shooting outdoors, try to find an overhanging branch to create a frame around the subject. The frame does not have to surround the entire scene to add depth.

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Leading Lines
Remember the first lesson you learned in your middle school art class? All that practice creating leading lines with your ruler and pencil during those lessons will come in handy when learning your basic photography composition now. Leading lines lead your viewers to focus attention on important elements, or the subject of the image. You can use this compositional tool with paths, walls, or patterns by shifting your perspective or changing your lens. Curved lines can be just as effective in leading the viewer towards the subject.

Fill the Frame
A basic photography composition technique that will help aim the focus on the subject is to fill the frame with your subject. The goal with this composition technique is to leave little or no space around your subject. This way, there aren’t any distractions leading your viewer away from the subject.

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Try to use one or two of these basic photography composition techniques whenever you shoot. Eventually, you’ll begin to use them without having to think about them as you take your photography to the next level.
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