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Have you seen a photograph that you literally want to step through the frame and enter that world? Or have you seen a photograph that instantly made your mouth water and your hunger give a little twitch of hunger? Composition in photography is creating a story or capturing a moment that comes to life through the photograph. Professional photographers spend hours in the classroom learning the techniques for composition in photography and even more hours learning and fine-tuning this skill.

Here are some tips to help you with composition in photography:

Select the Focal Point of Your Photo:

You will be amazed at how many truly great photos are ruined because there is not a focal point of the photo. Basically, the focal point of a photo is the first thing that catches a viewer's attention when they initially see the picture. Some people also refer to the focal point as the subject of the photo. Without a focal point, nothing in the picture is going to matter.

Rule of Thirds

While the rule of thirds does not have to be followed, it does help the beginner and those fine-tuning their composition in photography. When you select your focal point, imagine that the picture is divided into thirds both horizontally and vertically. Basically, divide the picture into nine equal squares.

It is important to avoid putting your focal point in the center square. Ideally, place your focal point along one of the imaginary lines beside the center square.

Foreground vs Background

All photos have a foreground and background. Neither of these should over-take the photograph but the subject or focal point should be the target of the picture. Make certain that the elements in both the foreground and background compliment the focal point instead of distracting the viewer away from the focal point.

Coloring

When you select a focal point, the next step is to select the colors that will go in the picture as well. Ideally, you want colors that compliment or colors that strikingly contrast one another. It is best to avoid using both because this can be too distracting and take the attention away from the focal point. Expert photographers can pull this off but not typically beginners.

Lining Up Your Focal Point

The human eye naturally follows lines. Ideally, you want to line up all of the objects in your photo. For example, you can place your focal point in the bottom left corner of your imaginary third grid. Your background objects would then be in the center square and the top right square forming

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