I may seem obvious, but the first open-ended “rules” for creating inspiring, eye-catching images are: Choose an interesting subject, make sure the lighting delineates its most distinctive aspects effectively, and take the picture at the instant all elements are at their most expressive. While expression is usually thought of as a characteristic of humans and animals, the basic concept also applies to mountains, trees, and teapots. A good photograph unfailingly captures the essence, or at least essential aspects, of the main subject and defines it in context. These are good things to bear in mind as you compose the picture on the LCD or in the viewfinder with your finger poised over the shutter release.

Before getting into the classical rules of picture composition first formulated by the Ancient Greeks and later refined by the Renaissance masters, let’s take a closer look at some even more basic ideas of good composition guaranteed to put you on the right track to creating images you can be proud of:

If you scrolled through the images on the mythical average amateur’s memory card with a critical eye, one thing would jump out at you. Many of the images would have looked a lot better if they’d been shot from a closer distance or zoomed in to crop out extraneous detail at the edges and corners of the frame. By extraneous, we mean details that don’t contribute to the overall graphic effect of the image or tend to draw the eye away from the main subject. Some writers on composition refer to this rule with the simple command: Simplify! That’s great, but I suggest you also try a simple exercise the next time you go out shooting. Take a whole bunch of before-and-after picture pairs; the first as you would normally shoot it, and the second at a much closer distance. It’s best to do this by varying the actual shooting distance (that is, zooming with your feet) because the perspective can change in fascinating ways, but you can also zoom in before taking the second shot.

If your results are typical, the second or closer shot will often be more dramatic and have a much greater visual impact. Sometimes you can even crop out part of peoples’ faces to home in on the essentials. Double close-up portraits of couples are excellent candidates for this radical cropping approach. My grab shot of a cute little tyke eating an orange is also a good example—it concentrates the viewer’s attention on the act of eating and the infant’s expressive eyes by violating the time-honored rule about cutting off the top of the subject’s head!

Classic kid close-up: Portrait of cute toddler holding an orange is engaging but conventional.

Get closer for more impact: Moving in from 3-1/2 feet to 18 inches and waiting for the perfect moment resulted in this stopper. Radical cropping emphasizes child’s eyes and hands and brings the viewer into the action.

This rule works nearly 100% of the time—there are very few exceptions that are visually effective. When following an active subject such as a football player running down field parallel to your camera, leave plenty of room at the edge of the frame toward which the runner is moving so the runner will appear to be moving into the frame and not off the edge. In fact, placing a moving subject near the side of the frame opposite to the direction of motion is often very effective because the viewer can clearly see where the subject is going, enhancing the visual effect.

This is one of the time-honored rules of Pictorialism, an art photography movement that flourished in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Basically the idea is to position any natural line occurring within the frame (such as a road, ridgeline, fence, tree branch, etc.) so that it leads the viewer’s eye toward the main subject. Following this direction slavishly certainly led to some trite Pictorialist images back in the day, but as a general guideline, it can help tighten up your picture compositions and convey a sense of order. Perhaps it’s even more important to avoid leading lines that direct the eye away from the main subject, unless of course you’re deliberately trying to create an impression of chaos or an unsettling feeling of disunity.

Asymmetry enhances visual impact: Off-center composition leads viewer’s eye from left to right, and textural variations add additional interest. Note how early morning sidelight defines the pumpkins’ rounded contours to add a sense of depth.

Using natural frames such as bushes, flowers, trees, windows, archways, etc to frame the main subject within the borders of the viewfinder is another traditional way of leading the viewer’s eye toward the main subject and unifying the visual effect of the image. Used with taste and discretion this technique can yield pleasing, memorable images, but select your subject with care and don't try to force the issue. If the frame is too obvious the picture will look stilted and contrived.

Breaking the rules effectively: Here the subject is almost dead center in the frame, but the dark receding background and beautifully blurred flowers in the foreground unify the composition and help focus attention on the young woman’s ethereal expression.

The ancient Greeks were the first to analyze the geometric relationships that formed the basis of their aesthetic concepts. These ideas, which may intuitively reflect the way our eyes travel when viewing rectangular images, are still beneficial to bear in mind when composing photographs. The master painters of the Renaissance certainly applied them in many of their greatest works. However many later artists, including today’s photographers, deliberately break the classical rules to create more dynamic, edgy, and provocative images. Whichever way you decide to go, understanding the classical rules of composition will help you to use them or break them creatively.

Study in red: Train in the background and model’s jacket are both in shades of red, which helps unify this vertical composition. Random angles of field grasses and the model’s windswept hair and intense expression draw the viewer’s eye to the main subject.

Derived from the Pythagorean Golden Triangle or Golden mean, the Golden Section is essentially a grid consisting of two horizontal lines and two vertical lines placed over the picture frame, dividing it into four smaller rectangles that have the same proportion (aspect ratio) as the outer frame (see diagram below). The easiest way to visualize this mentally is to divide the frame into 8 units, horizontally and vertically, then place a line at 5 units from each edge, starting from the top, bottom, left, and right sides.

The intersection points of the four lines forming the grid are called the Power Points. By placing the main subject on one of the Power Points, the viewer’s attention will be focused on that point, and if there is more than one main subject, placing them on the other Power Points works the same way—it draws the viewer’s attention where you, the artist, wants it to be and gives the whole composition a sense of balance and structure. Does it work? Yes, most of the time, and that’s why it’s worthy of consideration.

Antique store mannequin: The Golden Section rule helped guide this composition—both eye and chin line correspond to Golden Section power points. Note also that mannequin is looking into the frame, so the viewer’s eye tends to move from right to left when scanning this image.

This popular rule is based on dividing all the vertical and horizontal edges of the rectangular picture format into thirds. When horizontal and vertical lines connecting these 8 points are drawn in, the result is a symmetrical grid consisting of 9 rectangles, each having the same form (aspect ratio) as the picture format. The intersections of the two sets of parallel lines can be used in the same way as the Power Points of the Golden Section.

Does the Rule of Thirds work for verticals? You bet! This luminous image of apples in baskets is a nearly perfect example.

The Rule of Thirds is easier to visualize, remember, and implement than the Golden Section, and has been successfully used by photographers for many years. A well-known corollary of the Rule of Thirds is the admonition to avoid placing the main subject dead center in the frame. Placing the main subject off center does generally result in more dynamic and pleasing images, but bear in mind that many great photos, especially close-up portraits of memorable faces, have successfully violated this rule.

Scenic view of photo trekkers at Arches National Park near Moab, Utah illustrates the effective use of the Rule of Thirds, but even more striking is the clockwise arc of the subjects and scenery beginning in the lower center and sweeping to the upper right. Effective use of curves and oblique lines enriches the viewer’s experience. Note also how clearly defined close, middle, and distant planes impart a sense of depth to the image.

This is not so much a mathematical rule as a graphic design concept. By dividing the picture frame in two along either of its two diagonals (upper left to lower right corner, or lower right to upper left corner) and then drawing parallel lines near the diagonal you will create a diagonal band or zone. Generally you will achieve more dynamic and powerful images by composing the picture so that key elements (shadows, tree lines, rock formations, or even the main subject) fall within the diagonal band. Linear elements such as highways, waterways, bridges, and fences generally appear more active and dynamic when placed diagonally within the frame instead of horizontally.

Which rule applies? Actually this compelling portrait doesn’t quite match either the Rule of Thirds or the Golden Section rule, but it works anyway! Metal bar on left and flowing hair on right form a kind of triangle that unifies the graphic effect and focuses attention on the model. Conclusion: Linear element within the frame can sometimes be just as powerful as power points.

While it’s always preferable to create perfect images in camera, never forget that there’s an amazing amount you can do in post-production to greatly improve photos that have sound basic elements. Cropping an image after capture using a software program like Photoshop or Tiffen Dfx allows you to apply many of the rules of composition presented here by eliminating any extraneous or distracting elements that clutter the scene. A subject placed boringly smack in the center of the frame can easily be moved off center by cropping the image appropriately. In some cases, you can even crop an image by rotating its central portion to impart a diagonal thrust. The beauty of digital photography is that it’s now easier than ever to enhance your images rapidly, intuitively, and with tremendous control. Perhaps the best part of post-production software is that using it will give you a better understanding of what you need to do differently the next time you’re out shooting. That way you can spend more time behind the camera and perhaps a bit less time ogling at your computer screen.