The Three Simple Ingredients for Great Compositions
Great light at the end of the day at Passo Giau. In spring, blooming wildflowers make for a great foreground.
Every photographer knows this feeling so well: you come home from a trip to an amazing location but when you finally get to look at your photos they seem… underwhelming. Oftentimes this is because your compositions don’t properly communicate the beauty of the location to the viewer. Luckily, finding great compositions is actually easier than you might expect. Just follow the three steps below and you’re well on you way!
I remember the first time I was confronted with my lack of understanding of composition. I was 19 and hiked the infamous GR20 trail across the isle of Corsica. Somehow my photos didn’t communicate the rugged beauty of the island. Now, some twelve years and many hundreds of thousands of photos later I can finally say that I’ve found a simple and easy to replicate three step process that always helps me to find great compositions.
Flowers, a lake and a nice mountain are all this composition needs to stand out.
Step one: layer your composition
Most of the times when your photo doesn’t leave an impact it’s because it lacks layers. It took me years to fully figure this out but by adding layers to your composition you add depth to your photo. Think of it like this: Don’t take photos of things, but with things. Don’t take a photo of a mountain, but take a photo that has a mountain in it. Use a river, a flowerbed or a lakeside reflection as your foreground and suddenly your composition has become ten times more attractive.
This photo spot of the San Giovanni church in Val di Funes is extremely popular. Notice how the entire scene offers many layers: the church in the foreground, the horses in the pasture, the rolling hills behind the church and finally the jagged peaks in the background.
Generally I recommend including at least three layers in your composition: a foreground, a middle ground and a background. This advice counts double when using a wide angle lens. Using a strong foreground will improve your composition tenfold. There’s no hard rule on where your subject should be, it can be on any layer.
As with any rule there are exceptions. Here are three exceptions I oftentimes find:
Powerfull visual contrast. When you have a powerfull visual contrast, two layers can be enough. My favourite composition of this type is the tiny figure in front of a huge and looming mountainscape.
Minimalist compositions. When it comes to abstract or minimalist compositions, one layer is usually enough.
Detail shots. When you’re shooting details of the landscape, one layer is usually enough. Especially when you’re using a telephoto lens.
Join me on one of my photo tours to the Alps
If these photos inspire you, consider joining me on one of my photo tours! During the tours I’ll show you my favourite photo spots while teaching you everything I know about landscape photography. Because of my experience and local knowledge I can help you easily find great compositions during the best light.
During my all-inclusive photo tours we will:
Spend the night in epic hotels and mountain huts right next to amazing photo spots
Explore undiscovered gems for unique compositions
Learn about composition and lens choices for landscape photography
A river is oftentimes an excellent way to lead the eye through the composition. Just make sure you lead the eyes to something worthwhile.
Step two: mind the visual flow
Compared to layering, visual flow is a somewhat vague concept. This doesn’t mean that it’s less important, it just means that it takes a bit more time to fully wrap your head around it. When it comes to visual flow I always mean: how do your eyes move through the composition? Do they wander aimlessly or are they led to the subject? And what elements do your eyes encounter along the way? Do these elements add up or do they distract from the overall image? If you achieve good visual flow, your eyes should naturally come to rest on the subject before moving on to explore the rest of the composition. Another sign of good visual flow is when foreground, middle ground and background all seem connected to one another.
When it comes to visual flow, there’s a two common mistakes to look out for:
Be careful of leading lines that lead nowhere. A leading line can be awesome but make sure it leads to the subject. The worst offender is a leading line that crosses the entire composition, dividing it in two halves. If this is the case, you just carefully led the eye away from the photo altogether.
Disjointed elements in the photo. Oftentimes multiple parts of the photo don’t really connect to one another. This will make your composition feel cluttered and aimless. If you find this to be the case, try to leave out the elements that don’t work with your main subject. Sometimes it requires a bit of experimentation to get it right so make sure to take your time on location to find the perfect composition.
Most of the times, a simple composition beats out a complicated one. In this case I used an out of focus foreground to add a necessary third layer in the composition. Had the foreground been in focus it would have been a distraction without adding to the overall visual flow of the photo.
Step three: simplify your composition
I recommend to get rid of any elements that don’t add to the visual flow of your photo. This may seem drastic but it’s great practice. If your composition is too cluttered, all the separate elements start competing for attention with one another. The result is a composition that feels both overcrowded and boring at the same time. Here are the tricks that I employ to avoid a cluttered composition:
Don’t be afraid to use a shallow depth of field. Sometimes your composition needs another layer but at the same time you don’t want to add extra elements to the visual flow. In this case, an out of focus foreground will help you out.
Edge patrol. Alway make sure to check if the edges of your composition are free of distracting elements such as tree branches sticking in the frame. Any important elements of your composition should not be close to the edge of your photo.
Zoom in. Zooming in simplifies your composition while enlarging your subject. Oftentimes, this allows you to get rid of distracting elements close to the edge of your composition. Just make sure that your composition still has at least three layers to add depth to your composition.
Use post-processing. If I can’t get rid of a distracting element while on location, I often remove it in Photoshop during post-processing. Another way to simplify your composition during post processing is to darken any areas of the photo that don’t add to the overall visual flow while adding light to the elements that do.
That being said, one must be careful not to oversimplify the composition. It’s okay to have multiple points of interest in one photo, especially if these don’t distract too much from the main subject. In the end it’s all about finding a balance between overcomplicating and oversimplifying your composition. In my experience that takes time and practice so make sure to go out and shoot whenever the opportunity presents itself!
