DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

These 8 tips for improving your composition probably aren’t what you think

Mar 2, 2020 by John Aldred 2 Comments

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Composition is one of those things that some people just get innately. For others, it’s a constant struggle. We try to obey “rules” and many of us miss taking shots because even though we might like them, other people will think it sucks because it doesn’t fit the “rule of thirds”, the “golden ratio” or some other thing we’ve been told that images are supposed to conform to.

In this video from Jamie Windsor, all those “rules” go completely (mostly) out the window, as he discusses the issues around composition and offers eight somewhat unconventional tips that most of this type of content usually doesn’t go into.

  1. Get your position right
  2. Use your phone to help previsualize the shot
  3. Beware the “Rule of Thirds” – Look at your shot as a whole and consider contrast and colour
  4. Blur your eyes to get an idea of overall shape and form
  5. Think conceptually – What do you want your audience to feel?
  6. Crop out irrelevant and distracting details
  7. Keep the edges clean
  8. Don’t be afraid of post-production to alter your composition

They’re not the typical “rules” we often see thrown around when it comes to composition, although point number 3 does touch on them. There are many rules out there and sometimes you might want to at least try and see if any of them work for the scene presented before you if nothing leaps out at you. But don’t rely on them.

The last one, I think is a big one. There’s nothing wrong with cropping in post. Many film photographers would shoot wide and then crop and reframe later on in post. It used to be quite common, especially for medium and large format shooters that had plenty of information left after cropping out what they didn’t need or want in the shot.

What’s your favourite non-rule tip for composition?

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

5 top tips for actually improving your photography 3 simple tips for improving your first video Tips for improving your panning technique If you’re not improving as a photographer, these could be the reasons why

Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: composition, cropping, Jamie Windsor

John Aldred: from diyphotography.net

About John Aldred

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

« The Wavo is Joby’s first microphone and it’s ultra lightweight for vlogging
These ten items are great for filmmaking and we all have them at home »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Learn photography

Recent Posts

  • Hands on with the Godox MG2400Bi LED beast
  • Hands on with the Saramonic WiTalk
  • Another tourist falls off a cliff while taking a selfie
  • Stop doing these dangerous photoshoots
  • Meta launches new Ray-Ban smart glasses despite original’s poor reception

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy