COMPOSITION

SIMPLICITY

ECONOMY: Fill up the frame, by moving around your subject, and moving in close (or use a telephoto lens to get the effect of close-up shots). Avoid space between subjects and exclude details that are not relevant to the story. Photo by Sebastio Salgado

Photo by Paul Strand

Photo by Dorothea Lange

Photo by W. Eugene Smith

ASYMMETRICAL BALANCE: Whether consciously or not, compositions are often conceived away from the center of the frame, using the “rule of thirds.” Photo by W. Eugene Smith

Photo by Yosuf Karsh

Photo by David Blumenkrantz

SYMMETRY Centering the subject Photo by Robert Frank

Photo by Sebastio Salgado

Photo by Margaret Bourke-White

Photo by Bruce Davidson

Photo by David Blumenkrantz

CONTROL DEPTH OF FIELD TO BLUR BACKGROUND The longer the telephoto lens, the more likely you’ll have shallow depth of field anyway... Photo by Tammy Abbott

Photo by W. Eugene Smith

CURVED LINES are one of elements of composition most pleasing to the eye, giving a photograph a feeling a movement... Photo by Henri Cartier-Bresson

ANGLE, AND DIAGONAL LINES: Choosing unusual angles can result in interesting perspectives on a subject. The use of diagonal lines can add tension, and a sense of directionality. Photo by Bruce Davidson

Photo by Weegee

Photo by Dorothea Lange

Photo by Lewis Hine PERSPECTIVE

NO COMPOSITION? Some speak of an “anti- aesthetic,” arguing that one cannot do much arranging of light and subject matter with spot news. Others insist that experience is the only way to learn photojournalism; an innate sense of composition comes only from the alchemy of experience. Photo by Margaret Bourke-White

Photo by William Warnecke, 1910

BAGHDAD, IRAQ - SEPTEMBER 12: (NOTE TO EDITOR : GRAPHIC CONTENT) Dead and critically injured Iraqi civilians are seen lying in the street on September 12, 2004 in Haifa Street, Baghdad, Iraq. Fighting broke out in the early hours of September 12, 2004 as explosions shook the centre of Baghdad with U.S. helicopters opening fire at targets in the area and a U.S. armoured vehicle was seen on fire. Over 20 people were killed and 48 injured in a day of heavy fighting more than two months since the handover of power in Iraq. (Photo by Ghaith Abdul-Ahad/Getty Images) The Importance of Caption Writing...

Suicide bombing in Israel, August 31, New York Times

Photo by Hans Gutknecht

ANTI-COMPOSITION: In the 1950’s and ‘60’s, street photographers such as Robert Frank and Garry Winogrand disregarded traditional concepts of composition, tilting horizons and creating images with no center of interest. Photo by Garry Winogrand

The tilted horizon in this sports photo would most likely mean it could never be published in a daily newspaper. Photo by Garry Winogrand

In this celebrity portrait, Robert Frank intentionally subverted the traditional depth of field effect, creating a feeling of isolation rather than adulation for the subject.

JUXTAPOSITION The camera has the unique ability to capture two or more seemingly incongruous or paradoxical elements in it’s view. Photographers who take advantage of this can create ironic, even sarcastic statements. Photo by Margaret Bourke-White

TEXT GOES HERE MASTHEAD SHOOTING FOR MAGAZINE COVER LAYOUT In certain instances, it may be possible to previsualize how a magazine or feature layout may appear. The photographer can leave “dead space” in his composition, where the text can later be placed. Photo by David Blumenkrantz