Get The Best Shot with Mastering Composition

No matter how good your gear, you can't get best of a scene if you can compose your shots. Composition is essentially all about basic decision making following a set of simple and easy to implement rules, or making the choice to break them entirely but with good reasons. Learn to setup good composition is probably one of the most frustrating aspects of photography.

One of the simple way to start the photo composition is starting with rule of thirds. This rule is about placing strong compositional elements (point of interest) at positions one-third away from the edge of the frame. Colors and tones is also important thing to consider to get a good composition. But sometime we also need to ignore the compositional rule to get the best shots, for example to shot reflection in the lakeside, sometime we shot symmetrical composition to get the best of the scene.

So how we can start to mastering the composition? Here we go, just follow these simple tips to start learn how to mastering composition on your own.

1. Look for simplicity, start with something simple rather than to shoot a complicated scene. Choose simple landscape or other uncluttered compositions. Lone tree is perfect for this, but why don't you try arrangement of cut flowers for complete control of the composition indoors?
2. Pick the correct focal length. Getting to grips with focal length is tricky. The relationship between key element within an image composition can drastically change depend on your focal length. So, if you shoot with the zoom lens, just try to play with the lens focal length to get the best image composition.
3. Test orientations. Work the scene in landscape and portrait format, and compose strong images in both. Sometimes images will only compose well in one orientation, but attempt both at all times. Don't forget to look for opportunity for panoramic shots too, if possible.
4. Switch on the grid. The rule of thirds grid in live view can really help you when you're lining up elements to make a balanced composition. But first of all, try matching your own skill by using viewfinder, and the the live view function to see if you've set up the shot correctly.
5. Refine your skill. It's very important to push your standard higher, rather than simply settling for second best. Sometimes it can take a very long frustrating time to get a balanced composition. It's far better to take one extremely good photo than lots of average ones.
6. Evaluate the results. See and observe your images back at home on the computer. This will help you learn to tighten up your composition. Use crop tools to zoom into the image or eliminate problematic edges, or assess where the strongest tones and features lie with a grid overlay.

Okay, enough for the tips, it's time for you to practicing, so take your camera and start to compose your shot.

Source: Digital Camera World Magazine