Family Travel Photographs.com provides the following travel photography tutorial for photography and family traveler enthusiasts.
Techniques of Composition
How you arrange your image will determine
how successful it is
You have a great deal of control over how your photo will turn out, even if you're using the most simple point and shoot camera. The most significant way to do that is through composition. Composition is the intentional arrangement of your photo's elements to achieve the desired result.
Since you typically can't move people, trees, buildings, etc. to compose your shot, you'll have to move yourself around to find the position that aligns your elements the way you want them. This is a three-dimensional process; you move forward and back, left and right AND up and down (this one is often overlooked).
But what are you looking for? How do you arrange the elements in your photo?
There are some time-tested techniques of composition that you can use to dramatically improve the quality of your family vacation photos. They aren't difficult at all. You just have to understand them and look for them as you shoot. I encourage you to study each technique, then go out and shoot some pictures where you try to use those techniques. After you've done this a few times, you'll find yourself naturally positioning yourself to employ these techniques.
Here are some techniques of composition:
- Follow the leading line
- Rule your pictures with the rule of thirds
- You've been framed!
- The eyes have it
- What's your subject?
- Fill the frame
- Perspective