Hello everyone! I hope everyone is starting their summer off great! I was notified by a teacher that there was a deal on a free ‘rules of composition’ teaching guide, and I couldn’t let that deal pass! The deal has since ended, but if you are interested in reading and learning about different photography skills, Joel Grimes is the creator of all the lessons!

When reading through his Rules of Composition, I have learned a lot that I didn’t know. Here is a quote at the beginning that was very nice to read, “You are an artist: you have to stick with what feels right to you and take risk of breaking new ground. Don’t give in to the critics; there’s one around every corner ” – Joel Grimes.

Here are some of the things I learned:

• The Rule of triangles: Triangles set up both form and balance and can direct your viewer’s eye in the desired direction.
  • A triangle creates two anchor points and one off-setting adjacent point

• Never center your subject
  • if you place your subject in the middle of your frame, and have dominate elements in the background, it is best to arrange the scene to achieve a sense of balance

• Golden spiral or Golden ratio, is a connecting your point of interest at the top coordinates of the rule of thirds, but the spiral uses an anchor point on the opposing side that balances the main subject.
  • The golden spiral composition rule works even better, placing the main subject on the right side.

• Eliminate clutter: Keep your image from distractions. It is impossible to be 100% clutter-free. But always look at your images and ask the question, is there anything in the image that could be distraction to my viewers and it is possible to eliminate it.
  • watch your corners or edges of your image
  • by eliminating clutter, you can work with light, forum, and positioning your subject until it falls into place.

” Now it is time to go out and create some amazing images, and maybe in the process break a few of the rules! Happy shooting! ” – Joel Grimes.

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