Following his debut on australianphotography.com last week, adventurer and award-winning Australian photographer Chris Bray shares four more fantastic composition tips to help you improve your photography.
01 DIFFERENT ANGLES
We get used to seeing images shot from a height of around 170 or 180cm. Try something different. Crouch down low and look up, climb high and point down. Photographing up towards something makes it look imposing, looking down on it makes it seem small and weak. If you’re shooting animals or children, get down to their level – preferably in line with their eye height. A different angle will often give your images more impact.
02 LEADING LINES
Strong lines or curves flowing into a photo from its edges help lead your viewer’s eyes through your scene and towards your subject. A fence line, a trail of footsteps, a railing – all of these things can be used to draw their gaze into your photo.
03 PLAIN BACKGROUNDS
Position yourself so that your subject is in front of a simple, plain background. Try to avoid distracting colours, clutter and that old classic – telegraph poles that appear to protrude out of people’s heads! Train yourself to check and see beyond the subject before you take the photo.
04 BREAK THE RULES
Photography is an art, not a science so be creative. Sometimes the best shots obey none of the rules of photography at all! So dare to be different, but learn the rules first. A good photographer should at least know which rules they are breaking!
Chris Bray is an adventurer, author and award-winning photographer. He shoots for Australian Geographic and is a Canon ambassador. He runs one-day photography courses around Australia and photo tours around the world. He is running two two-week photo tours to Kenya in January 2012. For more information about his courses and the tours go to www.chrisbray.net