Most people taking snapshots rarely think of how to compose a photograph - they just like to point and shoot. More often than not, those photos don't have the greatest composition.
Of course, you can do the same and end up with perfectly acceptable photos. However, how much nicer would it be to have photos that truly stand out above the rest. Oftentimes, when people look at a photo and say they really like it, or comment about how extraordinarily great it is, they are seeing the results of good composition.
For centuries, the world's greatest artists have known this secret. From Rembrandt to Picasso, the same rules apply. In fact, even though you may not care for an artist's style, you may find yourself drawn to the picture for reasons you can't explain. Generally, that is because the picture is composed correctly. If the composition isn't right, all the colors in the world won't make it great.
The Divine Proportion (also called the Golden Ratio or Rule of Thirds). This is the Holy Grail of good design. There is a "divine proportion" - first noted in 500 BC and mathematically stated as 1.6180.... -- that occurs abundantly in nature. It has been discovered in the human body, seashells such as the nautilus, the spirals of hurricanes and galaxies, even in flight patterns of falcons diving on prey.
Renaissance artists used the formula it to create paintings, sculpture and architecture. In modern times, it has been restated as the "Rule of Thirds." As you compose your photo in your viewfinder, imagine lines drawn into thirds - horizontally and vertically - across the image. As you do, place important elements of your composition - a face, a tree, whatever your primary subject is -- where these lines intersect.
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