Last season some of the new members asked about the composition rules to which judges often refer. Here are some of the main ones:
- Don't cut your picture in half horizontally or vertically by having a line going through the centre of the picture. The most common culprit is the horizon – try to have more picture below the horizon than above or vice versa.
- Have a focal point but don't let it be in the centre of the picture. The ideal position is on a “golden third”. Imagine having a noughts and crosses frame over your picture and where the lines cross are the golden thirds.
- Have an odd number of objects in your photo rather than an even number ie. 3 swans rather than 2 or 4, 5 flowers rather than 4 or 6.
- It is good to have a lead in to a picture and ideally it should lead in from left to right as that is the way we read.
- However, remember that rules are made to be broken and some excellent pictures are produces even when breaking these rules.