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How to Place Subjects in the Correct Zone When Taking a Picture

Photo composition is the manner in which a photograph is laid out. Composition encompasses the subject's location, the effects of lighting, the placement of additional objects and the relationship between foreground and background. Properly composed photographs offer the viewer an aesthetically pleasing visual flow.

Instructions

- 1
  Look through the viewfinder of your camera. Break the scene into nine equal zones comprised of three horizontal and three vertical columns. This is called the rule of thirds. Move the camera so the main object in your photograph is in aligned with the one of the rows.
- 2
  Place the subject in the left or right side zones. People tend to read images from left to right. The eye is naturally drawn to an object placed in a side zone, creating a natural flow of vision. Avoid placing the object in the center zone.
- 3
  Zoom in your lens -- if you seek detail -- until your object appears to cover the entire frame. Place two objects of similar size in opposite zones.
- 4
  Position the object so there is no visual conflict with a background pattern. The object must stand apart from the background. Avoid placing it in front of a background similar in color or pattern. The background must not become an extension of the object.

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