Beecher's Handouts >

Composition >

Because your camera is easier to hold horizontally, you may tend to take all your pictures this way.

Some photographss call for a vertical composition.

What you place on, near, or just outside the edges and corners is very important.

These areas are very visible to the viewer, but difficult to see when taking the picture.

Because the focusing area is often located in the middle of your viewfinder, you may place your subject in the middle all the time.

Divide your viewfinder into thirds, sort of like a tick-tack-toe grid.

Place subjects of interest along the lines of the grid, or at points where the lines intersect.

Again, this is called a rule, but it's only a guideline.