Composition is arranging several elements in your photo at your chosen perspective to best tell a story or to emphasize beauty. Compositions are visual representations of the combination of rules principles that define a beautiful photo. Composition also conveys and controls the message that the photographer wants to tell.

There are cases when arranging or repositioning the subject of the photo is not possible. When this arises, you as a photographer should reposition or move the camera. For example, the horizon in a landscape photograph is not physically possible to move. You should try to position your camera on a different angle and perspective to be able to adjust the horizon in your photo.

In street photography, you cannot just take a walking person and position them, can you? So, here are tips for great composition every single time.

• Shoot with Symmetry -Symmetry is having your subject or elements of the photograph dead center in the frame with equal elements on each side.

This is usually used to emphasize power, authority and centrality. It is used commonly in but not limited to photographing buildings and other monumental structures.

The subject of this photo is the tallest building and placed in the center of the frame, in effect making the tallest building the main subject and the other buildings supporting subjects. This photo also shows balance because if you split the image lengthwise, you would probably get almost the same elements on either side.

• Include Rhythm and repetition- these are lines or shapes in your photo that appear several times and produces a predictable pattern that is pleasing to the viewer. If used properly, the patterns, may it be lines, shapes or curves, can direct the eyes of the viewer to the intended subject of the photographer.

This photo was shot with longer exposure time to create trail of car headlights to direct the audience’s eye to the city. The lines also suggest motion and in effect, the eyes of the viewers will be guided to the subject.

• Use the Rule of Thirds- the Rule of Thirds is basically a simplified version of the golden ratio. The Rule of Thirds is a grid that divides your frame into thirds horizontally and vertically. Each point of intersection or thirds position will give more emphasis on your subject when you place them on it.

Fibonacci Spiral (Golden Ratio) and the Rule of Thirds.

This photo makes use of the Rule of Thirds effectively. The photographer is leading your eyes to the wooden boat positioned in the lower left point. It also uses dominance of the subject in the frame to better showcase the boat as the main subject. The three boats in the background also compliment and give a story to the main subject because it is placed in the top right point of intersection.

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