The rules of thirds Imagine breaking an image down into thirds, horizontally and vertically, so that you have 9 parts, like the example below.
It identifies four important parts of the image that you should consider placing points of interest in as you frame your image. this will also give you four lines that are also useful positions for elements in your photo.
If you place points of interest in the intersections or along the lines that your photo becomes more balanced and will enable a viewer of the image to interact with it more naturally.
Worms eye view When we get down low and look up, that's a worms eye view
Birds eye view When we go up high and look down
The rule of shapes The way subjects connect to each other in a photo forms shapes that draw the eye from subject to subject. If a photograph's composition lacks shape, the photo becomes too busy or awkward to fully appreciate.
The rule of odds The rule of odds states that images are more visually appealing when there is an odd number of subjects. For example, if you are going to place more than one person in a photograph, don’t use two, use 3 or 5 or 7, etc. Of course this is a pretty silly notion for an engagement shoot or a wedding shoot, or a family with only two kids. But when possible, when you are not just shooting real life but composing images (still life, family groups, flowers) remember the rule of odds. Studies have shown that people are actually more at ease and comfort when viewing imagery with an odd number of subjects.
The rule of space Simply stated, the rule of space involves creating negative space that directly relates to your subject in some way. This rule states that if the subject is not looking directly to the camera, or looks out of the frame, there should be enough space for the subject to look into.
Rule of triangles As with the rule of thirds, we use the lines (of the triangles in this case) to help us position the various elements in the scene.