Balance: is a compositional technique in photography that juxtaposes images within a frame so that the objects are of equal visual weight. When different parts of a photo command your attention equally, perfect balance is achieved. Point of view in photography simply means the position from which the camera sees the scene. Are you looking down on the subject? Are you looking up at the subject? How close are you to the subject? Is there anything between you and the subject? Every decision you make about point of view will change how your viewer sees the photo. Avoid merging: Mergers are created when key parts of the main subjects overlap each other, touch another key element, or touch the sides of the frame. (Example: a tree growing out of someone's head) Avoid center weighting: center weighting is when you do not follow the rule of thirds and the subject is in the middle of the frame. Simplicity: A photographer can simplify the composition by assuring that nothing in the viewfinder competes or distracts from the subject. Everything in the photograph helps to support the theme and the background does not distract from the subject but adds to the composition Emphasis: What and where is the subject? Where do you want the viewer to look and what is important? A photographer can show emphasis through framing or placement of the subject. Leading lines are lines within an image that leads the eye to another point in the image, or occasionally, out of the image. Framing is a technique used to focus the viewer's attention upon the subject. Framing can make an image more aesthetically pleasing and keep the viewer's focus on the framed object(s). It can add depth to an image, and can add interest to the picture when the frame is thematically related to the object being framed. The rule of thirds is a guideline that proposes that an image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two equally spaced horizontal lines and two equally spaced vertical lines, and that important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections. |