Nature is chaotic, there is no order to how trees grow in a forest or how rocks break and fall, everything is scattered randomly, there is no symmetry. Composition in photography refers to the placement and arrangement of the visual elements to please the viewer’s experience. The composition can make or break the whole experience and it is what makes the image eye-catching and dynamic.

It is our job as photographers to look for glitches and stand at the special angle, or the correct height to capture a pleasing composition that resonates with the human brain. Our brains are hard-wired to look for familiar shapes, it is a human tendency to look for face-like structures and features. It is a phenomenon called Pareidolia.

In nature, we tend to look for familiar shapes, triangular formations, and leading lines. The slightest camera movement can completely change the composition. As Ansel Adams once said, it is all about knowing where to stand.

While composing a frame, I can immediately tell when it is balanced, even if I cannot explain why but it happens unconsciously, I think it is the same feeling a musician feels when composing a piece of music.

When we started out with photography, we all learned about the “Rule” of Thirds, it is a common practice for photographers to compose using this method, but it is one of the many tools used while organizing the key elements in a picture. I am a strong believer that there should be no rules in art, and I believe that you cannot restrict an artist with any rules. But when we talk about this “Rule” we are referring to the placement.

Sometimes, when executed correctly, the subject becomes more intimate and stronger when placed in the center of the frame. Sometimes we think that the more we get inside the frame, the better. I say it is not about what to include, but what to exclude; what to leave out of this rectangular box is often what matters, I want my images to leave you with more questions, rather than giving you answers. It is the ability to set the stage for the viewer, who is the ultimate consumer of your vision, then it is up to the viewer to interpret the scene and make it his own. When placing the subject in the center of the frame, the brain looks for symmetry to organize the chaos, but symmetry is sometimes boring. I like to break that symmetry by leaving a large area of empty space and leave the eyes to rest and the brain to look beyond the image. I like to frame most of my images in square format, especially for my black & white work as it concentrates the attention on forms, patterns, and shapes rather than colors. The square image has a natural sense of balance, by itself it works very well for serene subjects, by creating a sense of intimacy. The eye moves in circles while viewing an image framed in a square, and this draws the viewer to the subject more easily. The composition also involves the proper placement of light and shadows, this can be obtained by directing light on the subject using digital editing software, also the use of vignettes to direct the viewer’s eye inward into the frame, rather than looking out of the image. The goal of composition is to express your mastery of vision and your emotional response to the scene.

I strongly believe that by producing images that are meaningful to you personally as a person, not just as “the photographer”, you can communicate this emotion and your life’s philosophy through your work, and not just passing a message, but a story told through your images.

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