Creative Composition

Nigel Forster takes you through the ins and outs of how you can transform basic snaps into well thought out and beautifully crafted photographic compositions

- Nigel Forster

No matter how technically competent we are with our cameras, at the heart of great photography is composition. It’s also the aspect of photography that many enthusiasts find most difficult. At the outset, it’s worth pointing out that this article is less about pre-planned images (i.e. going to a location and getting the best picture you can of it) and more about spontaneous photography, where something has caught you eye and you respond with your camera accordingly. That’s not to say you can’t explore a familiar location with your camera and create your own take on it, but be aware that when photography becomes a wish list of ‘great places to take pictures from’, it can stifle creativity, as it may blind you to other potential opportunities.

So we’re looking at how you can explore, think and visualize abstractly when out with your camera. If your images suffer from unwanted features or clutter, they struggle to convey what caught your eye when you first looked at the scene in front of you, or simply lack that ‘impact’ you’re looking for, then we hope this article will provide a few ideas that can really take your shots to the next creative level.

WHY AM I TAKING THIS PICTURE? It is very easy, particularly in the digital age, when it costs nothing to fill a memory card, to fire away taking lots of pictures in the hope that some will produce results. But why not pretend you have film in your camera and take care over every shot? A more measured approach to photography often yields more consistent and higher quality results.