Put the focus point of your subject more to the right side
rather than the left. Our eyes are used to reading text left to right, just
like you are reading this article, so follow the same idea in your photos. No,
this is not the rule of thirds or leading lines; rather, it draws your viewer’s
eye in to the photo.
Try this little exercise to see what I mean: Take one of
your photos that has the focus point on the left and use some photo editing
software to flip it over. See any difference? In the photo with the left focus
point, you look at the subject and then quit looking. But in the one with the
right focus point, you automatically look across the entire photo. Same photo,
different result.
Obviously, you wouldn’t want to apply this rule blindly, but
in some situations, I have found it to make the composition just slightly more
interesting.
A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Think about that
every time you take a shot. Does that sunset photo show a pretty sunset or does
it show a feeling of calm and peace at the end of the day? What story are you
trying to make people see and feel when they see your photo? Don’t forget to
tell the story next time you press the shutter button.
Telling a story with your composition is nothing new. You have probably heard that before; however,
one thing that I consistently see results from in my photography is paying more
attention to what is excluded from the photo than what is included in the
photo. The key to composition is to analyse
everything in the photo, and then place it in a way that adds to the subject
itself.
Keep the focus on the subject, not all the details in the
scene. Too many details take the focus away from the story your photo is trying
to tell and make it more difficult for the viewer to figure out what you are
trying to convey. The building behind the family is not part of the family… so
don’t put it in the photo (unless it has a great pattern, enhances the photo,
or makes a good backdrop)!
Another way to bring focus to your subject is with light.
The eye is naturally drawn to the brightest spot of a photo. By using light,
positioning, and depth-of-field to make the viewer pay closer attention to the
subject, you will capture much more impactful photos.
Learn advance photography techniques to improve photography composition via free online photography training at Shaw Academy.
