Composing a Shot

As I work my way through National Geographic's Fundamentals of Photography course, I'm learning to be much more intentional in composing a shot. Below, some examples of shots that I feel are relatively well composed. Some are better than others, but all show something I was trying to make happen.

This slash pine is small, and there's so much going on in the background that it's hard to get a sense of it.

Changing my perspective lowers the horizon line, cleans up the background and lends drama to this small tree.

Here again, a low horizon and lots of sky behind the royal palm communicates height and drama.

The roofline and posts, along with railing and bars on the doors, all add structure and frame this shot nicely. This ended up being one of my fave shots from a recent Bahamas cruise.

Wish I could have caught more of the goats, but I like the way the fencing frames the shot, and rule of thirds draws your eye to the girls, who were fascinated by a friendly goat.

Beyond the fence, there were lots of trees and an apartment building. By angling the shot to cut off before the fence ends, we get a nice background that makes this Porsche 944 pop nicely.