The Rules of Composition

An excellent use of a long exposure at night to make the moving traffic form a blurred 'S' leading line into the bottom right hand corner of the frame. The flowing traffic seems to enfold the stationary pedestrians waiting to cross the busy road. The slight blur of one of the pedestrians adds to the apparent tension here. Black and white is the right choice for this image. Well done!

With a very limited colour palette this is an almost monochromatic image. There are several compositional devices at work here. The sea fisherman falls on the right hand third and both him and his reflection straddle the lower third. The building on the left also lies on a thirds intersection and the background hills gently lead the eye from here towards where the clouded sun throws light on the figure. Excellent work. I wish it was mine!

A strong image which captures the mood of the scene very well There is a very strong lead in which takes the eye to the figure, hunched up against the weather, taking the walk to the lighthouse wich falls on the intersection of the upper and left hand thirds. The monochrome treatment adds menace to the clouds and the sea. I find the small black object on the left just beyond the figure a slight distraction although some may feel it adds a balance.

This is a stunning image. The head lies on the left hand vertical third and is well framed by the gap in the screen. This gap is echoed by the oblong shapes of the screen which is slightly out of focus . This draws one's attention to the face as does the horizontal line in the centre.

A very strong head portrait. The directional side lighting is so right here emphasising as it does the eye, nose, lips, chin and upper neck. The head sits firmly on the right hand vertical third and the all important eye is on the upper horizontal third. Looking out of the frame may be thought counterintuitive compositionally but here it creates the all important negative space that fills the left. To be very picky the hair fringe has lost some detail. Nice work.

A very well composed and executed head and shoulders portrait. By having the subject on the right hand third but looking to the right out of the frame is somewhat counter-intuitive from a compositional point of view but the lighting anchors the image. The background shadow is a wonderful counterpoint and the background diagonal shadows make a lead in from the left.

There are several compositional elements displayed in this image. There is a strong leading line from the base of the image that leads us to the steps and then the lighthouse itself. The lighthouse is placed at an intersection of both a horizontal and verticle third. The strong sidelighting adds depth to the image. Yellow and blue are complimentary colours so work well together. My only minor criticism is that the lighthouse is leaning ever so slightly to the right. Great image and well done!

The 'S' bend of the road is used very well here as a compositional device. Also the coach lies on the intersection of both the left hand and lower third. The splash of red on the side of the bus, and the black and yellow road signs subtly add colour to the image. The exposure has been well handled to retain just enough detail in the expanse of snow.

A very well composed image. We come into the image down the leading line made by the steps to the side lit wall. We then follow this down and pick up the hand rail on the right. We are then lead up to the white lighthouse and other buildings. The light in the lighthouse stands out well against the grey sea which then blends into the blue sky with a hint of the setting sun. Well done!

A very striking image. The mask itself is perfectly placed on the right hand third. The angle of the mask and the gaze of the blue eye form a diagonal which is emphasised by the blue and silver lines leading from the mask into the bottom left corner. These implied diagonals add some dynamism to an otherwise cold and serene scene.

Several compositional techniques have been well used here.The lone tree sits on the intersection of the left hand and lower thirds. The side lighting creats the tree shadow which also helps the composition forming as it does a line leading to the tree. There is a strong leading line from the left taking the eye past the tree then becoming a subtle 'S' curve into the top right corner. The white line going right from the top of the tree is a minor distraction and could easily removed. Well seen.