Composition And Its Impact It's A Beautiful Photograph; But Do You Know WHY is it Beautiful? Why do you like a certain pictures better that the other? A breathtaking landscape can transport the viewer to another time and place. A beautiful still life can capture a mood of serenity, warmth, even magic. A great portrait of a person can look into their soul, and let you share their smiles or tears. People are drawn to good photographs that reach out to them. A great picture communicates.
What makes a photograph successful? Few basic rules. An old saying, "Rules are meant to be broken". But you must know the rules and have a reason for wanting to break them.
Rule #1 Get in close. No, closer. No, still closer. There! You've got it! The more you simplify a photo, the more attention you draw to your subject. The more attention you draw to your subject, the more successful you are in communicating your message to the viewer. Get in as close as possible, thereby eliminating anything in the background that may detract from your subject. Before you snap your next flower photo do this: look up close at the flower. Try to get really close - literally. Put your eye right down there and examine the petals, all of the delicate little parts in the center of the flower, any unique characteristics the flower has. Ask yourself what it is about this specific flower that is crying out to have its picture taken. Try to remove or eliminate any distractions in your composition, or another way is to just get closer and closer until there's nothing else in the viewfinder. That way you hit your viewer smack-directly in the face with your subject. This is referred to as "filling the frame". There's no question about what the photograph's subject is, and you've communicated with the person who sees the final image!
Rule #2 Photographic Compositions When you think about where you put your subject in the photograph, you are composing your image. Think about it. When a painter starts out with a blank canvas, he or she has free reign to decide where to put that river, those mountains, the trees, clouds and anything else that needs to be included. Creating a photograph, you should go through the same process. Some part of our brain knows that and wants to place the subject right there in the middle of the frame, where our eyes would normally look. But forget about centering your subjects. There are several "classic" ways to compose a photograph. To use these methods, you will need to train yourself to see your subjects in terms of lines and shapes. Sometimes lines in a photograph are obvious, like the horizon in a sunset picture. Other times, the main lines in a photograph are not nearly so obvious. One way to see the main shapes in your photographs is by squinting your eyes until the image almost becomes a blur, then you'll see any lines and shapes created by the shadows and light.
The Rule Of Thirds And The Golden Mean This concept can be explained by dividing a composition frame or canvas, both vertically and horizontally into thirds. You essentially wind up with a tic-tac-toe board. The rule of thirds should be used as a guideline for when you have vertical or horizontal lines in your image. The rule of thirds is derived from another rule called the "Golden Mean" that says that the main subjects of an image should be placed at the intersecting points created (roughly) by the lines mentioned above.
So if you are composing a photograph of a sunset, try placing that horizon line one-third of the way from the top or bottom of your image, to include either more of a foreground or more of the sky. You'll notice a balanced landscape this way. There are other ways besides the rule of thirds and the Golden Mean to use lines and shapes to strengthen an image. Here's a quick overview of six additional methods of composition that can strengthen your images.
The Triangle When you take a photograph in a rectangular frame, basing the composition on a triangle that goes from any one corner to the two opposite sides, is always a good way to create a strong image. It won't be very often that you're photographing subjects that are actually triangular, but by placing objects in your composition along strong diagonal lines that create a triangle, you'll add strength to your image. You can also loosely divide the photograph into three sections to make strong compositions.
The Frame Within A Frame Another way to strengthen a composition, especially landscapes, is to use materials near you in your foreground and include them in your photograph around two or more of the edges to create a sort of "frame". This is most often done with trees or branches on two or three sides of the image. Often rock formations will have holes through them - you can use this sort of natural "frame" by including it in an image and taking a landscape view through the hole. Another interesting thing to try is taking a photo through a window frame of an outdoor scene. Archways, doorways and all sorts of other architectural features work great for this as well. It is suggest to stay away from doing this with only one edge of the frame, as that tends to make a photograph feel off-balance.
Leading Lines Roads and footpaths are another great way to use leading lines to your advantage. These perspectives lines can be effectively used to lead viewers' eyes into the depths of the image.
Rhythm   Another way to create dynamic impact in your photograph is with the use of "visual rhythm". This is a way to use pattern or repetition of form and shape in an image to create interest.
Negative Space Negative space is a term used for the part of the frame surrounding the actual subject. This space is usually flat in colors to make the subject stand out in the composition.
Learning To Use These Methods Through Abstract Photography One of the best ways to learn to see compositionally is by taking abstract photographs. By abstract, I mean that your subject matter is unrecognizable for the most part. Get in close, use color and lines in your composition to create the whole image. When you're done, look closely at it. Does the photo feel "balanced"?
Rule #3 Find if there is a Better Way To Do It?   Is there a different point of view? Specifically, your point of view, as the photographer. Walk around the subject. Observe how the background changes as you move 360 degrees around your subject. Then lie down on the ground and point the camera up at your subject. Climb a ladder and look down, trying the same thing. Tilt the camera vertically, even diagonally. Fill a whole memory card the same subject from drastically different points of view and compare the results. You might surprise yourself. You'll definitely surprise the viewer by trying something different and that will add impact to your photo.