This may sound obvious but when it comes to photo composition it is good to make sure that the subject of your photograph is well positioned in the frame and that there are no distractions which conflict with the subject.

For example, this photograph records the happy memories of seeing a giraffe at a riverside in Africa.

If you took the photograph, would you be pleased with it when you returned home?

Possibly. After all, it shows the giraffe on the riverbank looking towards the next snack of leaves.

Because you were there taking the photo, you remember the setting and the atmosphere. But look again, imagine you had not been there. Is the giraffe the only thing in the photo which grabs your attention?

Maybe but …..

….. what about the giraffe on the left? Does it distract you?

There are a number of things about the photo composition of this image which could have been improved with some simple knowledge about how to take better photographs.

Notice that the giraffe is rather close to the edges of the frame and there is no way of knowing it is on a riverbank.

Also, the giraffe on the left distracts us from the subject and spoils the balance of the scene.

By zooming the lens out or moving back a little and waiting for the giraffe on the left to move on, a better photograph can be taken.

Now this is an improvement but the giraffe splits the picture down the middle and the opportunity to show off the setting is somehow wasted.

If we zoom the lens or move back even more and reposition the giraffe in the frame, we can still see it but we can also see the river and the tree that the giraffe is looking at.

The photo composition is now much better. It is clear that the giraffe was looking at the tree ahead and that it has some space ahead to move into.

The river can now be seen but the whole scene seems to have lost its colour, looking more like midday than late afternoon when the photo was taken.

If some simple knowledge about Lighting, Exposure and Focus had been applied, an even better result like the one below would have been achieved.

Details about these simple techniques for taking better photographs are on the Main SNAP Page.

For the time being it’s a good idea to look at some of the photos you have taken in the past and ask yourself whether they would really convey the experience you had to someone who was not actually there?

If not, would better composition have helped?