Digital Photography - Rule Number 1 - Composition is King

If you are looking to make more than a miserable snapshot, composition is king. As a life-long professional photographer, if I have learned nothing else, photographic composition is the most important factor in creating photographic art as opposed to photographic trash.

Because of my reputation as a professional photographer, my friends are constantly bringing me their snapshots so that I can tell them how great their picture is. Fortunately, for me, with all of the advancements in the technical aspects of digital photography, I can honestly tell them that they have made a technically superior photograph. I then pray that they settle for that answer.

If I had to tell them the whole truth, the answer would be yes, technically perfect but the composition stinks. Here are a few tips to improve your photographic composition.

1. Avoid static balanced composition. The subject does not have to be dead center in the middle of the photograph.

2. Look at the surroundings. Is there clutter that you can remove from the photograph. You should always be using the full frame of the photo. Eliminate any distracting details.

3. Now take another look at the surroundings. Is there a tree or phone pole growing out of your subjects head?

4. Use leading lines to point to your subject. For example, sidewalks, the river's edge or perhaps a staircase.

5. Use natural framing in your landscapes. For example, the trunk and branches of a tree might make a nice natural frame for your landscape.

6. Use your foreground or background to highlight your subject. Perhaps a reflection of your subject in a lake or perhaps a flower bed in the foreground to lead into your subject.

7. Don't be afraid to put people in your landscapes. They add perspective to your photograph.

8. Try unusual angles. Everything does not have to be shot from eye-level. Lay down on the ground or perhaps pick the high-ground by climbing the steps or on top of a rock. The main thing is to try something different.

9. Digital storage space is cheap. If you are looking to take one picture, try 10 or 20 shots to find just the right angle to add interest to your picture. You can always hit the delete button if the shot does not work out.

10. Study photo books and online photo galleries. Try to figure out why some pictures are great and some stink. You can learn a lot about composition by looking at the work of others. I have been a professional photographer for about 50 years and I still spend time looking at what other photographers are doing. Even at my age, I still learn something new everyday.

So stop reading, pick up your camera and go create some pictures. As a photographer, we don't say that we are taking pictures, we say that we are making pictures.

Happy Shooting

Stan Pontiere has been an avid photographer since childhood. Having worked for the likes of the Associated Press and The New York Times and an instructor of photography at a college back east, I have enjoyed the transition from film to digital photography.

For more information on digital photography, please visit: http://digitalphoto.net46.net

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