Composition

Edward Weston, one of the masters of twentieth century photography, once said, “Consulting the rules of composition before taking a photograph, is like consulting the laws of gravity before going for a walk.”

When I teach students about composition, I often compare the process to learning to drive a car. When I first learned to drive, everything was new. I remember that I somehow could not understand that I needed to straighten  the wheel after I turned it, which meant that I spun the aging Dodge Spirit in circles in a parking lot as my dad cringed. 

Now, driving is second-nature. I no longer have to think about how to use the steering wheel, which pedals to push, or even how to moderate my hybrid for its best mileage. I like to think this is what Weston meant. We need to practice the guidelines of composition until they are so embedded in our understanding of photography that we don’t notice the gravity.

In each section below, explore slides I have used recently to teach seven guidelines of composition, and a few student responses to each prompt.