8 Creative Photography Compositions You Should Be Using

how you compose your photographs is really important.  and i have 8 photography compositions that are sure to take your photos from being anything but boring.  if used thoughtfully, your composition will be what takes your photograph from one that someone simply glances at to a photograph that is visually intriguing to your audience and pulls them in.  there are so many ways to incorporate thoughtful composition into your photos and, if you keep these 8 creative photography compositions in mind when you pick up your camera, your photographs will be much more fascinating.

>>this post contains affiliate links.  thank you in advance for supporting bethadilly photography!<<

8 Creative Photography Compositions You Should Be Using

8 Creative Photography Compositions You Should Be Using | bethadilly photography

developing the habit of thinking through your photography composition every single time you pick up your camera is something that comes with time.  but by knowing about how you can compose your photographs more effectively, you will start inspiring yourself to see even ordinary objects or situations in new ways.  a good photographer can take any subject, whether it be a person or a basket of laundry, and make it an intriguing image solely through their use of their photography composition.

8 Creative Photography Compositions You Should Be Using | bethadilly photography

1. Framing

think of a picture frame and what it’s job is.  a frame not only holds and displays a photo, but it showcases it.  framing your subject within your camera frame is a great way to draw the viewers eye to your subject.  in the image above, i used the natural frame of the doorway to frame and showcase my puppies.  there are so many things that can frame your subject including doorways, windows, trees, etc.

8 Creative Photography Compositions You Should Be Using | bethadilly photography

2. Depth of Field

creating depth of field is a great way of drawing your viewer into your photo because it adds so much visual interest.  instead of having a two dimensional photo, creating depth of field pulls your viewer into your image because their eye is drawn into the background of the photo.  to create depth of field, you will want to select a lower aperture like f/2.8 or lower.  depth of field can of course be achieved at higher apertures, but i personally like f/2.8 or lower when using my sigma 50mm f/1.4 lens to create really soft blur in my foreground or background.  after you select your aperture, you will either pick a focus point in your foreground or background to focus on, creating depth of field by either blurring out the foreground or background on your image as you focus on your intended subject.
8 Creative Photography Compositions You Should Be Using | bethadilly photography

3. Symmetry

creating symmetry in your photo is a very effective photography composition tool because it creates balance and comfort, which will be appreciated by your audience.  when you think about symmetry, you should be able to cut your photo in half and each half should mirror the other.  the image above of the potted plants resembles symmetry because, if you create a vertical line down the middle of the image, each side perfectly mirrors the other and the image is balanced.

8 Creative Photography Compositions You Should Be Using | bethadilly photography

4. Negative Space

another great way to incorporate creative photography compositions is through the use of negative space.  negative space is where you balance out your photo with your subject on one side, paired with absolutely nothing on the other side.  this is a great way for you to showcase your subject because the negative space leads the viewers eye right towards your focus.  in the image above, i used negative space in the bottom half of the image which draws my viewers eye to my intended subject: my husband.  instead of filling the entire frame with your subject, try incorporating negative space by placing your subject in just a portion of your frame and leaving the rest of the frame blank to create visual interest.

8 Creative Photography Compositions You Should Be Using | bethadilly photography

5. Leading Lines

using leading lines to compose your photo is when you use natural lines in your surroundings to lead your viewers eye to the subject.  to incorporate leading lines into your photo, you will position your camera so that you have lines extending from one edge or multiple edges of your frame and those lines move directly towards your subject.  in the photo above, i positioned myself at a low angle with my lensbaby composer pro sweet 35 lens and i used the natural lines from our deck to lead my viewer’s eye directly to my subject, my puppy.  you can find leading lines anywhere and everywhere, from roads to tables.  just look around and you will notice that our world is full of lines, all you have to do is position your camera accordingly, usually at a lower angle, and incorporate them!

8 Creative Photography Compositions You Should Be Using | bethadilly photography

6. Texture

creating texture in your photographs is a great way to bring your photograph to life and make it more realistic.  texture allows your viewer to incorporate their five senses into your photograph.  to create texture in your photographs, you will want to make sure you are using an appropriate aperture that will capture the details of your subject.  depending on what your subject is, this could be achieved with a higher or lower aperture, based on what you are trying to achieve.  in the photo above, i used a lower aperture and placed my focus point on a particular section of the asparagus that had the crispy and salty texture i wanted to showcase.  i chose to use a lower aperture because i wanted to also incorporate depth of field, by having my asparagus surrounded by blur in both the foreground and background of my image to really showcase that texture of the asparagus.

8 Creative Photography Compositions You Should Be Using | bethadilly photography

7. Rule of Thirds

a great way to incorporate photography composition into your photographs is through the rule of thirds.  the rule of thirds is when you vertically and horizontally cut your photo into thirds, creating 9 sections.  your two vertical and two horizontal lines will intersect at 4 points and these are the points that you will focus on when incorporating the rule of thirds into your photography composition.  it is at one of these 4 points that you will want to place your subject.  in the photo above, my subject is the wooden instagram camera so i intentionally placed it in the lower right third of the frame where the lines intersect.  because we read from left to right, it is always best to place your subject on the right side of the frame so that, when your viewer looks at your image from left to right, their eye ends on your subject.

8 Creative Photography Compositions You Should Be Using | bethadilly photography

 8. Low Angles

getting on a low angle with your camera is a wonderful way to compose your photo because it can create so much visual interest.  not only does it help you to get on a more realistic level with your subject, but it also helps to create depth of field by doing so.  depending on what you are photographing, being at a low angle can create reflections as well.  you can achieve reflections at low angles when you photograph on a reflective surface such as a wet surface like a pond or puddle, a glass surface or a hardwood floor.

by thoughtfully picking up your camera and incorporating one or more of these photography compositions into your photos, you will start creating photos that draw your audience in and make them really appreciate your photography.  getting creative with your photography composition will also have you picking up your camera more and more to photograph even the most ordinary of moments as you will see how something as simple as how you compose your photo can make even an overflowing laundry basket into a wonderful photo.

are you on my exclusive email list?  be sure to join so you can receive my latest photography tips + tutorials.  plus, it’s free!

need some photography tips + inspiration?  check out what posts are trending below!

7 comments
Add a comment...

Your email is never published or shared. Required fields are marked *

Menu