What exactly is good composition?

Where do you start? Well, it would probably be easier to demonstrate bad composition. After all, if you like the look of a picture and it tickles all the right bits, then it must have good composition. True, but if you want a better than even chance that other people will also like your picture then you should at least try to follow some of the rules of composition.

Unless your design is abstract a lead in is very important. Put simply, a lead in is anything that directs the eye to the focal point. This could be any form of line, such as that offered by a road, a river, a combination of road and river, with a fence in between for good measure or even a set of footprints in the snow.Incidentally, when leading the eye into the picture be careful not to lead it out again. The eye needs an exit, but only when it has feasted upon all you have to offer. Using the same lead in as a way in and a way out is akin to watching a film on fast forward.

Usually a combination of various lines will point to the focal point. In this photo of Padstow Boats you will see numerous lines at work. The sides of the quay on both sides of the boats lead the eye to converge on the boats; the top of the tree line on the left and the line of the top of the sand dunes to the right all do the same thing. Even the main house to the left faces towards the boats. No single factor stands out, but between them all they do an excellent job of providing a lead in.

So why does it help to use reference photos that are taken with good composition in mind? Compare a photo with good composition against one without and you might not really appreciate the one that does. It's more likely you will know a good photo when you see one, even though you might not immediately understand why. It makes good sense though, to increase your chances by searching through photos you know are taken specifically with good composition in mind.

Take this photo of a rusting farm trailer. As reference for an intricate picture it works very well, but there is no lead in. You will face a bit of a choice if you paint it: create a lead in by improvising or paint a detailed, almost technical drawing. Unless you are exceptionally skilled or you paint it loosely it won't really work without a lead in.

The rule of thirds is another important design feature, though one that seems too easy and too obvious to be worthy of mention. Or is it? Well, no, it ain't necessarily so! Ask all those artists who realise halfway through a painting that their horizon is more or less halfway up the page or whose focal point might just as well be dead centre if they would agree with that particular sentiment.

So how do we ovecome this problem? The rule of thirds is a simple and effective tool, possibly the most straightforward, but to be successful it must be considered before you start. Positioning the horizon either one third or two thirds up the page should be a no brainer! Problem is that it's not that simple. Many artists draw their line one third from the bottom and then plonk their buildings on it. The end result is usually a focal point that is dead centre. If you're lucky it will be to the left or the right of centre. And if not? Oh well, there's always next time.

Compare the photo above of a group of cottages in Dungeness with this photo of a church near Ripley. Which has the better composition? Which follows the rule of thirds? Where is the church - the obvious focal point - positioned? Dead centre? I would say so. And if it isn't it might as well be for all the difference it makes!

So why post a photo with such obvious faults? Simply because it has other good compositional points. The lead in is provided by the zig zag line of the grave stones; the lack of any competing features ensure the focal point is made obvious and the focal point is set at a dynamic angle. That is to say that the church is shown neither directly from the side or directly from the front. The reason this photo, along with many others on photos4artists, shows the church in the centre is to cram as much of the surrounding scene into the photo as possible. By not cropping the sides the artist is given more say in the final position of the focal point. Also by including as many of the gravestones as possible, the artist is given more choice of what to keep and what to delete.

Would a crop improve the photo? Almost certainly. Compare the photo on the rght with that above and make your own decision. And as an artist you are at liberty to rearrange the headstones to form a vague line, leading from the bottom right of the picture and moving in a slight zig zag direction to the bottom left of the church. A finished painting would also benefit from a far more interesting sky, but that's another story.

To be honest, this fine balance between taking already perfectly composed photos or trying to include as much detail as possible is a bit of a headache and one that will never truly be resolved to everyone's satisfaction.

Balance is an important design feature. An unbalanced image can almost make your eyes ache and not in that yearning, desiring way. Fortunately, achieving balance is reasonably easy, which means that not achieving balance is . . . whisper it . . . an almost unforgivable sin. So, how can you give your painting a sense of balance? Even if you haven't given it slightest consideration before you began? 

The easiest answer of all is to use Rowland Hilder's favourite trick and paint in a shadow from an unseen tree coming from the bottom left. This would add immediate and realistic balance. Other ways to achieve balance might be to paint an object such as a tractor tyre, a post sticking out of the ground or a signpost in the bottom left corner. Anything that serves to balance the darker, busier top right will do the job.

The above photo is a good example of a not particularly balanced photo. It's too heavy on the right hand side and after you crop the sky to position the horizon on the top third of the page it will also be too top heavy. Now compare it with the cropped and balanced photo on the right. A viable alternative would be to crop the picture so that the sky makes up the top two thirds of the painting and use a heavy cloud on the top left. Both methods are well practised and work.