feature story 2: photography tips (:

  Here are some helpful hints to help make you be a better photographer:

  1.Rules of third- Imagine that your image is divided into nine equal segments by two vertical and two horizontal lines. Try to position the most important things in your scene along these lines, or at the points where they intersect. Doing so will add balance to your photo.

  2.Balancing elements-Placing your main subject off-center, when using the rule of thirds, creates a more interesting photo, but it can leave a void in the scene which can make it feel empty. You should balance the 'weight' of your subject by including another object of lesser importance to fill the space.

  3.Symmetry and patterns-We are surrounded by symmetry and patterns, both natural and man-made, and they can make for very eye-catching works of art. Another great way to use them is to break the symmetry or pattern in some way, introducing tension and a focal point to the scene.

  4.View point-Before photographing your subject, take time to think about where you will shoot it from. Our view point has a massive impact on the composition of our photo, and it can greatly affect the message that the shot expresses. Rather than just shooting from eye level, consider photographing from above, at ground level, the sides, the back, far away, close up, and so on…  

  5.Background-The human eye is excellent at distinguishing between the different elements in a scene, whereas a camera has a tendency to flatten the background, and this can often ruin a great photo. But this is easy to fix, at the time of shooting - look around for a plain background and make your shot, so that it doesn't distract it from the subject.

  6.Framing-The world is full of objects which make perfect “natural frames”, such as trees, archways and holes. By placing these around the edge of the object, it helps to cut off the main subject from the outside world. The result is a more focused image which draws your eye naturally to the main point of interest.

  7.Cropping-Often a photo will lack impact because the main subject is so small, and it becomes lost among clutter of its surroundings. By cropping around the subject you eliminate the background 'noise', ensuring the subject gets the viewer's undivided attention.

  8.Experminentation-Since we now have digital cameras, we no longer have to worry about film processing costs or running out of shots. Experimenting with your photos' composition has become a real possibility; we can fire off tons of shots and delete the unwanted ones later at absolutely no extra cost. Take advantage of this fact and experiment with your compositions - you never know whether an idea will work until you try it. (:

http://www.amateursnapper.com/photography/10-top-photography-composition-rules