The 10 Rules of Composition

This week's cell phone photography class assignment was to take a photo for each rule of composition. I have included each of the rules and a photo that represents them.

A Melting Pot at The Melting Pot

The first rule of composition- Impact.

People have fleeting attention spans, and a photo should draw its viewers in as quickly as possible. 

I hoped to do this by capturing flames springing out of a pot when I went out for fondue. It has vivid colors and captures the audience by making them look closer beyond the flames. 

Before Crop

After Crop

The second rule of composition- Cropping. 

I cropped out the front sign and surrounding people to focus in on my subject matter. 

Workout

The third rule of composition- Biggest, Boldest, Most Favorably Placed.

In this photo, I wanted to have one of the weights be the focus. To do this, I placed the weight closest to camera and made sure there was light bouncing off of it. Additionally, I made sure it was the sharpest thing in the photo as well.

Rainy Days

The fourth rule of composition- KISS. 

Keep It Simple, Stupid. 

This rule is, well, simple. When I saw a raindrop, I saw simplicity and beauty and I wanted to capture it for this photo. I focused on the raindrop and let the background fade away. 

Maloney

The fifth rule of composition- the rule of thirds.

This rule was a little difficult to grasp. I used the white flags as my subject matter to fall on a third of the photo, but my professor mentioned it would have made more of an impact if I had used leading lines to leads towards a person.

M.E.E

The sixth rule of composition- Leading Lines. 

In this photo, I used the railing to create a leading line towards my model. The side walk behind also leads to her. 

Yoga Time

The seventh rule of composition- Balance. 

This rule emphasizes balance between objects, colors, and symmetry. I used both objects, shapes, and light to create a sense of balance in this photo. 

Coffee Hour

The eight rule of composition- Framing

I made my friend stop and sit anytime I saw an object to frame her with for this rule. Finally, I saw a wire can that worked perfectly. I really enjoyed the way the wires lead towards her in addition to framing her in this photo. 

With Merger

Avoiding Merger

The ninth rule of composition- Avoid Mergers

This rule is meant to help you show your subject matter without unnecessary distractions. I first took a photo with containers and cups in front of her, and then moved both the objects and myself to focus on the bag of her holding the Doritos. 

Room for Movement

This rule is meant to show that there is a place for the subject to move. Shadows represent this well because it shows space for the subject to move forward.