Cut the clutter

Equally important as how you arrange the items within your frame is what you decide to leave out. Every element should strengthen and support your focal point; if it doesn’t, be prepared to leave it out, either by moving your shooting position, changing lenses or returning to the scene later. Also, think about the quality of your subject matter. If you’re shooting flowers, look for the cleanest, finest example; don’t settle for ones that are missing petals, or are surrounded by foliage which has been ravaged by insects. If you’re photographing landscapes, watch out for brightly coloured cars or telegraph poles creeping into the edge of your shot – unless they’re an essential part of your composition.

This picture has bags of impact: strong diagonal lines, the building positioned off-centre and contrasting warm/cold light that emphasises the centre of interest. Shame about the sheep’s rear peeping over the wall…

Sweep the frame

Before you press the shutter release, quickly scan around the viewfinder for distractions; anything that doesn’t make your photograph stronger should be ruthlessly culled. Pay particular attention to out-of-focus highlights in a background – the sky showing through gaps in tree foliage is a classic example – as the viewer’s eye will be drawn to these. Don’t be afraid to try and mask these with your subject, or shift your viewpoint to cut them out altogether. Watch out for skies with no colour in them. A flat, greyed-out expanse can drain a picture of life, and it’s often better to not feature the sky at all in such cases. When taking pictures of people, animals or flowers, watch the position of the horizon; you don’t want to decapitate your subject with a soft horizon line or change in tone. Be prepared to lower or raise the position of the camera and angle it up or down, to isolate your subject against a softer, more uniform backdrop.

Consider the colours

Think about colours when you’re framing your picture – does the colour of your main subject clash with or compliment the background colour? Be aware that warm colours – oranges, reds, yellows – tend to leap out at the viewer, while cool ones – blues, greens – recede. You can use this relationship effectively by placing an area of bright colour on one of the points of power created using the rule of thirds, so strengthening your picture’s impact. You can use warm and cold light in the same way; imagine a swan highlighted in the sun’s early morning glow, while the lake in the background remains in shadow, taking on a cold, blue tone. Remember that smaller areas of bright tone will draw the viewer’s attention away from a larger area of dark tones – is that where the strength lies in your final image?