Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds is a very common photography technique and it's often the first one that is taught. It ensures that people are looking at a visually interesting photograph.
To create the rule of thirds, imagine a 3x3 grid on top of the photo you are taking. You should try to put the important part of the image where the points intersect. You can also place the focal point of your image in one of the "thirds" that are created by the grid, making it look more interesting than if everything was centered.

As you can see, the eye of the bee is at one of the intersections, and the bee and flowers are in the last two vertical thirds of the photo, making it more appealing than if it was centered.

With this photo, the eye of the puppy aligns with one of the intersections. This photo is also effective because the puppy is in the last vertical third, facing the empty space, making it look like the puppy has space to run, rather that being at the end of the frame. If the puppy was in the first third facing the same way, he would have nowhere to go, and it would look unappealing.

Landscape Photography

Landscape photography is a genre of photography that shows the physical origins of land, and can also show the cultural overlay of human presence. It can reflect the combination of people and place, vital to creating local and national identity.
A good landscape photograph should share the feelings of the moment that the photographer is experiencing, and should remind people about the beauty of our world, not just document the land.

This photo is called "Night Sky, Patagonia" and was taken by Max Seigal. It is a great example of a landscape photo because it captures to beauty of the night sky, and makes you feel like you are standing there in it.

Portrait photography

Portrait photography is defined as: "photography of a person or group of people, which reflects the expression, mood or personality of the subject."
Portrait photographs (much like portrait paintings) tend to focus on the face and facial features rather than including the whole body and background, though some photographers do go for this option. 

This photo of Grace Kelly (taken by Cecil Beaton) is a classic example of a portrait photo. It focuses on Grace Kelly's facial expression, which is a reflection of her mood. 

Welcome to my blog.

Hi, welcome to my blog.
 Here I will be exploring the different elements of composition, and different genres in photography. I will look at professional photographers and how they use different techniques to create effective photos.

I really hope you enjoy reading my blog as we discuss the art of photography. 

Thank you,

Natalie.