Alongside the arrangement of the scene, photo composition is affected by camera settings, lighting decisions, and gear choices. It is a complex process that decides the tone of your visual story and impacts the message you want to convey. 

For a good composition, photography needs a balance between the elements in the frame. It means you have to balance the amount of detail and space, highlights and shadows, etc. But there are also abstract concepts that need balance. How much does the meaning of the focal point or background weigh? The atmosphere created by the quality of light and tones may increase or decrease the weight of other elements.

There are others (some we already know!)

This basic composition technique is based on the idea that placing your subjects off-center yields a stronger, more natural-looking composition and allows you to make creative use of negative space. Following the Rule of Thirds also serves as the perfect opportunity (or excuse) to shoot your subjects from different angles. This will ultimately allow you to capture more unique images. 

Whether you’re shooting landscapes or portraits, imagine a 3×3 grid that divides your frame into nine equal sections (by two vertical and two horizontal lines). Then place the horizon, trees, and other focal points like the eyes and lips along the intersections and lines. Most cameras come with a grid to aid you in composing your images this way. 

As you practice this photography composition technique, you’ll find that shapes are all around you as well. You’ll often find conventional, clearly defined shapes in houses (windows and doors) and other architectural structures. But you can also find compound shapes—especially if you look hard enough—in every multidimensional scene. 

Triangles and diamonds tend to add aesthetic appeal to your shots. Don’t hesitate to move around and change the angle of your frame to find—and reveal—those interesting shapes. 

Symmetry is a widely taught compositional technique used for creating visual balance in your photos. We unconsciously look for symmetry in all things. A photograph with almost perfectly balanced elements usually makes for a very appealing image. 

Just take a photo of the Eiffel Tower below. It may have been incredibly easy for the photographer to position themselves and the camera in a way that would capture the silhouetted French landmark, the dramatic sunset, and the mirror image at the bottom of the frame. However, a viewer would take longer to observe the many details of this photo, thus making it all the more intriguing. 

For this technique, move in closer to your subject to strengthen your composition. Doing so allows the focus to fall on your subject, such as a person’s facial expression, and on details that may not be readily noticeable by the naked eye. As a bonus, it will help you get rid of distracting elements in the background and may even give you interesting abstract patterns. 

Cropping during post-processing also works to make your photo look like a close-up shot, but keep in mind that you run the risk of significantly lowering the resolution of your image. Also, if you decide to exclude limbs (such as an outstretched arm) from the frame, do not crop at the joints. 

Also called sub-framing, this type of compositional technique involves using or adding frame elements to emphasize and lead the viewer’s eye toward your subject or to simply add interest to your image. It can be anything from natural frames like rock formations or man-made ones like windows and tunnels. Whatever shape or form, as long as it helps bring focus to your intended subject, it’s bound to create a more aesthetically pleasing image.

The rule of odds states that when you're including a group of subjects in your photo, an odd number, rather than an even number will produce a more interesting, and visually pleasing composition.

The Golden Ratio is a popular concept in photography. It refers to a spiral, similar in shape to a nautilus shell, overlaid on an image. The parts of the frame the spiral passes through are said to provide greater visual impact than other portions of the frame. 

The Golden Ratio exists in countless places in the natural world. It’s based on the mathematical concept called The Fibonacci Sequence, so you may also hear it referred to as the Fibonacci Spiral. 

As you shoot, try to imagine a spiral flowing through your frame. Where can you place the subject to best take advantage of the Golden Ratio and the balance it provides? To take your compositions even further, experiment with using grid overlays in your viewfinder to help you consider these ratios as you shoot. 

Diagonal Lines In Photography are any slanted lines in a photograph, such as tilted trees and road paint, as well as partially outstretched arms and bent flagpoles. A diagonal line is a straight line segment that forms an angle between a vertical and horizontal axis.