Creative photo composition made easy

Good composition is one of the easiest and most effective ways to take your photography to the next level.

On a daily basis, we view the world from our eye level with largely unobstructed views and a wide berth of personal space. So it's natural that when we first pick up a camera we tend to take shots with that familiar view. But the best compositions are often found elsewhere.

1. Change up your position

Try shooting from your shoes or getting uncomfortably close to someone or something. Don't be afraid to obscure your subject matter or make them really tiny in the frame. There is no wrong, there's only different. 

2. Find a new perspective

Another approach is to get down low or up high to take shots with a whole new perspective. You'll find even the simplest subject matter will appear more imposing from a low level, or conversely more recessive from a higher viewpoint. So move around your subject until you find the most interesting angles.  

3. Get up close with cropping

A great technique popular in creative DSLR circles is to crop in on your subject's face or frame the subject matter in a way that's more interesting than just centering it. This makes for more intimate imagery, which is rarely experienced in the real world. You can even try this by cropping photographs you've already taken.

So, a good composition is one of the easiest and most effective ways to take your photography to the next level. While there are a lot of rules and checklists that you might find valuable, the best way to learn better composition is simply taking and looking at more photos. You'll be amazed at how often it is simply just the way the shot is composed that really captures your attention.