Everyone has seen that image that quite literally stops you in your tracks . . . It's so spectacular that it doesn't matter where you are - walking past a shop, or perusing a friend's photo album. You must to go back for that second more detailed look. It could be a magnitude of things that cause you to stop and stare, the colours, the detail or the photos contents. It doesn't matter which of these catches your eye the one thing that I can guarantee is that the photo is well constructed. A well constructed image is created using a few simple rules and is where the photographer spends a little time thinking about how to actually construct a more appealing image, identify the point of the image and capture it. A great photo is not directly related to the camera or the amount of money you have spent on it, it is the user and their are a few simple rules that anyone can learn and apply to their personal photographs for more visually stimulating images.
Before delving into the Techniques which will improve your photography you need to understand that the human brain is constantly absorbing information. It works subconsciously within less than a second of seeing a picture it is drawn to specific details; the human brain also knows what it finds appealing. Of course everybody is different and people like different things. This is true at many levels however there are a few of the most basic rules that are universally acceptable. Upon taking the time to understand how the brain thinks and reacts to certain parts of a photograph your photography will have already improved.
Focal Points Before you get trigger happy and rattle off hundreds of pictures eetake a moment to decide what are you actually taking a photo of? The focal point of the picture needs to be the most important thing in the image. Mentally split your picture into two sections; the foreground and the background. This is a great technique to remember when taking those pictures destined for the family photo album. Your brain can only process one part of the picture at one time, it is either the foreground or the background and in which order is dependant on how your frame your photo. If you want a family photo zoom in close and ensure that the people fill up the majority of the picture, this will immediately draw the focal point to the front of the image. Alternatively apply the rule of thirds' and have the people stand slightly to the side, then use the background to fill the rest of the picture, this will give your picture background emphasis. The balance between foreground and background will be purely dependant on how close you zoom in or how far away you are from the foreground.
The rule of thirds: Imagine looking through your view finder, cut the image using two horizontal lines that create 3 boxes. Do the same with two vertical lines, this will give you nine equal squares. The aim of the rule of thirds is to place your focal point on the intersection of any of these lines. This will ensue that your focal point is never in the middle of the image but slightly to one side. This is immediately more pleasing to the eye and will provide you're photo a better composition. It's very simple, if you place something in front of your nose you go cross eyed, it's immediately uncomfortable, on a smaller scale the same thing applies when looking at a photograph.
Framing: Your eyes will automatically look into the picture if you frame it correctly. Your brain can be lazy, in a sense you can trick it or help it see what you want it to. This means decide on your focal point and use something in the foreground to direct the eyes towards your focal point. This is usually something vertical on either one or both sides of the image, it does not have to be solid but cannot be two far towards the middle of the image or it will take the emphasis away from what your trying to photograph.
Line your photo up: Your brain likes lines however within a photo they must be either parallel or perpendicular with others to be most effective. This is incredibly important if taking scenic images, nothing ruins a lovely landscape picture faster than if the horizon is not straight. Two examples are horizons must be parallel with the top of the image and people standing should be parallel with the sides. Always try and find a link with your focal point and the edge of your image.
Before delving into the Techniques which will improve your photography you need to understand that the human brain is constantly absorbing information. It works subconsciously within less than a second of seeing a picture it is drawn to specific details; the human brain also knows what it finds appealing. Of course everybody is different and people like different things. This is true at many levels however there are a few of the most basic rules that are universally acceptable. Upon taking the time to understand how the brain thinks and reacts to certain parts of a photograph your photography will have already improved.
There are four such rules that can make your photograph more appealing to the human subconscious. (Please note that in this situation I use the word rule very loosely, there is no law saying this is how it must be done. Photography is not a black or white science it is an art form and with that comes situation there is plenty of grey area to be exposed, these are just guidelines to remember.)
Focal Points Before you get trigger happy and rattle off hundreds of pictures eetake a moment to decide what are you actually taking a photo of? The focal point of the picture needs to be the most important thing in the image. Mentally split your picture into two sections; the foreground and the background. This is a great technique to remember when taking those pictures destined for the family photo album. Your brain can only process one part of the picture at one time, it is either the foreground or the background and in which order is dependant on how your frame your photo. If you want a family photo zoom in close and ensure that the people fill up the majority of the picture, this will immediately draw the focal point to the front of the image. Alternatively apply the rule of thirds' and have the people stand slightly to the side, then use the background to fill the rest of the picture, this will give your picture background emphasis. The balance between foreground and background will be purely dependant on how close you zoom in or how far away you are from the foreground. 
The rule of thirds: Imagine looking through your view finder, cut the image using two horizontal lines that create 3 boxes. Do the same with two vertical lines, this will give you nine equal squares. The aim of the rule of thirds is to place your focal point on the intersection of any of these lines. This will ensue that your focal point is never in the middle of the image but slightly to one side. This is immediately more pleasing to the eye and will provide you're photo a better composition. It's very simple, if you place something in front of your nose you go cross eyed, it's immediately uncomfortable, on a smaller scale the same thing applies when looking at a photograph.Framing: Your eyes will automatically look into the picture if you frame it correctly. Your brain can be lazy, in a sense you can trick it or help it see what you want it to. This means decide on your focal point and use something in the foreground to direct the eyes towards your focal point. This is usually something vertical on either one or both sides of the image, it does not have to be solid but cannot be two far towards the middle of the image or it will take the emphasis away from what your trying to photograph.
Line your photo up: Your brain likes lines however within a photo they must be either parallel or perpendicular with others to be most effective. This is incredibly important if taking scenic images, nothing ruins a lovely landscape picture faster than if the horizon is not straight. Two examples are horizons must be parallel with the top of the image and people standing should be parallel with the sides. Always try and find a link with your focal point and the edge of your image. In conclusion, the aim of a good photograph is to give the mind something that it likes to look at, it must be easy on the eye and the focal point is to be immediately recognized. Dont forget the same rules apply when photographing people. Now with a little practice your photos will only improve. Remember, there is no black and white rule just Guidelines, therefore don't be afraid to break the rules if you desire.
If your interested in some more images and photography check out www.outwidephotography.com. Its full of incredible images from all reaches of the globe. Its also updated regularly so if you like it dont forget to check back regularly.
