Composition
Knowing about the many rules to photographic composition is the key to creating professional grade work. It proves that you have a method behind all the pictures you take and can further strengthen otherwise average pieces. Being knowledgeable about composition can help you understand what makes other artists work so great so you can implement their techniques. Also, when you fully understand concepts like the Rule of Thirds or balance you can learn how to effectively break them for stylistic reasons.
Rule of Thirds/Golden Mean: The rule of thirds is the idea of imposing an even 3x3 grid on an image and trying to line up points of interest to the intersections of the lines on that grid. The golden mean is a ratio that can be found in nature and other beautiful pieces of art. It is a more complex outline than the rule of thirds and looks more like a spiral.
https://www.slrlounge.com/useful-concise-comparison-rule-thirds-vs-golden-ratio/
Balancing Elements: A composition is balanced when the subjects within it are demanding attention equally without one being more dominant than the other. This can be brought through symmetry, color or tone.
https://www.adorama.com/alc/what-is-balance-in-photography
Leading Lines: Explicit or implicit lines that lead the viewers eye through a photograph or to the main subject are known as leading lines.
Symmetry and Patterns: Symmetry in photography happens when the composition can be divided in half, either horizontally or vertically, and both sides would look fairly similar. Patterns display repetition and can help demand focus from the viewer.
Viewpoint: The angle or height in which you are taking a photo all make up the viewpoint. Taking a photo of a subject from over a hill will mean you are at a high viewpoint while laying on the ground would be the opposite.
Background: The background of a photograph is everything other than the main subject. The background can either be minimized to accentuate the subject or maximize it to blend in for stylistic reasons.
https://www.photokonnexion.com/3249-2/
Depth: Adding a sense of depth to a photograph includes adding the illusion of the third dimension into a two-dimensional medium.
Framing: Using something in the composition to outline the subject is called framing. For example, capturing a photo of a bird through a window would fall under this category since the window is acting as another frame.
Cropping: Cropping is the practice of “cutting” off part of your image with the goal of making it more interesting or giving it the ability to fit within a certain format.
