The purpose of photography is to take a photograph interesting enough that other people want to see it.

Physically taking a picture is fairly easy. First, you point the camera at the image you are trying to capture. Next, you look through the viewfinder of the camera to get the desired framing. After that, you have to either manually or automatically focus the camera depending on what type of camera it is. Also, you have to adjust to the correct lighting either manually or automatically. After all of that, you press down the shutter button. The hard part of taking pictures is the composition.

Usually, good pictures are the result of paying careful attention to some basic elements of composition together with appropriate lighting and an interesting subject. There is no correct way to take a picture. Four different photographers photographing the same scene could create photographs each having an entirely different composition, yet being equally interesting.

Here are a few things to consider when taking a

photograph:

Point of Interest Locate a primary point of interest before taking a picture. When you've found which area is the most important to you, you should compose the photograph to include it.

Simplicity Be sure that only the things you want the viewer to see appear in the picture. Your message will be lost if there are too many objects cluttering up the background. Consider using depth of field control to keep the background out of focus if you can't find an angle or framing to isolate your subject. In this example, the photograph is of a marmot without any distracting scenery.

Contrast A dark subject will have more impact if placed against a light background and vice versa. Although, contrasting colors can be used for emphasis they can become distracting if not used correctly. This picture shows the dark color of the trees and cardinal contrasting with the sky.

One way to change a picture drastically is simply by moving the camera up, down, or to one side. Coming up with an unusual point of view is how photographers take prize-winning photographs. The caribou in this picture was photographed from slightly above to give it an interesting twist.

Viewpoint

A "frame" in a photograph is something in the foreground that leads you into the picture or gives you a sense of where the viewer is at the time it was taken. This example shows trees framing a shot of Devil's Tower. If the "frame" is too sharply focused it could become a distraction.

Framing

Usually, informal (asymmetric) balance is more pleasing in a photograph than formal (symmetric) balance. So, placing the main subject off-center and balancing the weight of it with other smaller or lower impact objects will be more pleasing than placing the subject in the center.

Balance

The rock in the example to the left is balanced with the lake and the hills.

It is best to leave space in front of a subject that is capable of moving. Then it will appear to be moving into, as opposed to out of the photograph. The space in front of the buffalo in the picture makes it look like it walked into the shot.

Direction ofMovement

Linear elements (roads, waterway, fences etc.) are usually viewed as more dynamic when they are placed diagonally as opposed to horizontally. In this example the river is moving diagonally.

Diagonals

The rule of thirds is a principle taught in photography which is based on the theory that the human eye travels naturally to a point about two-thirds up the page.

Rule of Thirds

Additionally, dividing a photograph into thirds allows you to achieve the informal balance mentioned earlier. As you can see indicated by the dashes, the squirrel is about two-thirds up.

The best example of a photograph based on the use of thirds is the placement of a

horizon line in landscape photography as shown below.

Rule of Thirds

If you are emphasizing land or water, the horizon line will usually be two-third up from the bottom. If you are emphasizing the sky, the horizon should only be about one-third up from the bottom, letting the sky fill up the rest.

Rule of Thirds

Keep in mind that these are only guidelines not strict rules. Experienced photographers who know the rules by heart often creatively break them, with excellent results.