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These are the seven rules (guidelines) to cinematic framing and composition

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Composition is always such a hotly debated topic. There are so many “rules” (and sometimes a few that conflict with each other), but unless you want to start getting yourself obsessively wrapped up in those debates, you have to think of them more as guidelines. But they’re guidelines that we often see followed to great effect in many movies, TV shows, and photographs. Do you know why? Well, it’s because they often work.

In this video, Kellan Reck walks us through seven of what he considers to be the most important rules, tips and tricks to get a good cinematic looking shot. And while the video is geared towards filmmaking, much of what is said can be applied to photography, too.

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Seven beginner landscape photography composition mistakes you need to avoid

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We all make mistakes in photography, especially when we’re new to it and still learning. The sad thing is, no matter how long you choose to pursue photography and no matter how good you get, you’ll keep making mistakes. The important thing is that we are able to recognise them, acknowledge them and learn from them in order to keep improving.

That’s the focus of this video from Nigel Danson, who goes over seven compositional mistakes he often sees from beginners. And he’s not judging, because he admits he’s made these mistakes himself and provides examples of where he’s done it. But he also shows how he identified the problem and how he went about solving things.

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This simple composition advice will completely change your approach to taking photographs

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The best kind of advice is usually the simplest, like “when spending time with others put your phone away” and “soggy cereal is never as good as last night’s takeaway curry so have the curry for breakfast.” In this latest video, Mark Denney tells us the “best composition advice he’s ever heard” and follows up by saying that it’s so simple that he wished he’d known this earlier.

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How to break the rules like a pro and not like a beginner

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Do you enjoy sticking to rules or are you a bit of a rebel? Some rules are there to be broken and in my opinion, especially those rules in photography that we all know and love. But there’s the old adage “first learn the rules before breaking them” to take into account. This is what Daniel Inskeep of Mango Street explains in his latest video.

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How to create accidental Renaissance photos with light and composition

Hashtag #accidentalrenaissance has over 17,000 posts on Instagram. And even though it’s often a joke or a meme, I believe all of us have also seen some pretty amazing photos that look like Renaissance paintings. But what is it that makes them remind us of the works of master painters? Chroma says that composition and light are the keys. In this video, they break them down so you can take “accidental Renaissance” photos – on purpose.

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Forget the “rules” of composition and learn to use your intuition

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The “rules” of composition are always a hot and divisive topic. Some stick to them adamantly while others act like they don’t exist (or they don’t know any exist). The former can be difficult to break away from and the latter can be very freeing, allowing you to explore all kinds of composition ideas in your work.

In this video, Sean Tucker talks about going beyond the rules and how his photography has been guided mostly by intuition. He breaks down some of his own images and why they work. He covers a lot of topics that aren’t really mentioned at all in the usually accepted rules and how they can make the viewer feel when looking at an image.

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Improve your composition with these tips from a photographer who worked with Ansel Adams

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When it comes to composition, there are generally two schools of thought. The first is to strictly obey the “rules” they’ve read or been taught. The other is to simply go with your gut and what feels right. This video from Advancing Your Photography featuring photographer Huntington Witherill leans more towards the right.

While Huntington talks us through some very specific thoughts and processes, he says there’s no formula or list of things to do that will guarantee a good composition. Good composition is a strategy and a skill that is largely intuitive. Learning more “rules” isn’t going to make your composition any better.

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This photographer is using video games to teach photo composition

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Game screenshots are common and popular on social media, and have been a thing ever since streamers started streaming. I’ve never been a big fan of calling “video game photography” photography (they’re still just screenshots), but they can still be a valuable teaching aid when it comes to things like composition and lighting (depending on the game).

And that’s exactly what Texas-based pro car photographer Mir-or-Image has been doing in his new series on YouTube. With as popular as in-game screenshots have become, many games now come with a “photo” mode that allows you to freeze the game and move the camera to get yourself that perfect competition. Mir has been utilising this feature to help teach other photographers.

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Learn to understand the “rules” so you know when and how to break them

Photography is packed so full of “rules”. Well, they’re more like guidelines, really. But the “rules” seem to tear photographers up into two camps. The first wants everybody to strictly adhere to them and the second wants to shoot whatever and however they like. There’s nothing wrong with either approach, really, but the two are not mutually exclusive.

Some of the best images out there break the “rules” of photography. But as this video from Craig Roberts at e6 Vlogs explains, whether you choose to follow them or not, understanding them and why they exist can make for much greater impact when you choose to break them.

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The importance of background in photography composition

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Today I will discuss the importance of background in photography composition illustrated with some examples of mine.

Part of a larger series covering elements of composition in photography for which you’ll find links at the end of this article.

I taught myself photography in quite a specific order, I navigated / progressed through various urban photography genres:

Graffiti Photography > Urban Landscape Photography > Street Photography

It’s the reason I realised early how important an image’s background really is, allow me to explain:

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