Category Archives: Composition

Cropping images of birds-in-flight with the Rule of Thirds

As photographers we all do our best to really think about the composition of our images and construct them to achieve a sense of balance. When we do this well we are able to control eye flow and create a pleasant viewing experience for people looking at our photographs. To accomplish that we often use the Rule of Thirds in our compositions. Obviously this is much easier to utilize when photographing static subjects such as landscapes and much more difficult to achieve when our subjects are moving. Continue reading Cropping images of birds-in-flight with the Rule of Thirds

Improving image eye flow by creating corner exits

Back in the day when I was working in corporate life I gained quite a bit of experience creating and managing advertising, usually print based. When we designed ads it became second nature for us to constantly think about fundamental concepts like visual depth, dominating elements, and ad balance. The goal was to achieve good eye flow in the ad. Since leaving corporate life I’ve tried to apply what I learned about advertising design to my photography.
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The Magic of “7” in Composition

This article will no doubt be the shortest one I will ever write about image composition as it contains only one, very simple idea. And, that is the number “7”. If you’re like me and tend to see the world around you as shapes and angles when you have a camera in your hands then this should resonate very strongly with you. Continue reading The Magic of “7” in Composition

Using Foreground Elements in Landscape Photography

Often when we are creating images, especially landscapes, we can get so focused on the main subject that we forget to think about incorporating a foreground element to help add depth and drama to our scene. There are a number of different approaches we can use. In this short article I’ll be illustrating three simple and effective ways you can incorporate foreground elements into your images. The first is something that I like to call a ‘bottom band’ during my landscape seminars. Continue reading Using Foreground Elements in Landscape Photography