Photographic composition is simply how you arrange the elements in your photograph. Think of a musical composer  arranging a piece of classical music with string and wind instruments. Instead of musical instruments, a photographer composes with visual elements such as line, shape, and tone. A well-composed photograph is very similar to a musical composition; Done well, the photograph holds the viewer's attention and intrigues their imagination.

A photograph can be as complex or as simple as you choose.

Instant Improvement

If you want to improve your eye for composition, start by moving your subjects away from the center of the frame. Your photographs will immediately look more professional. Putting the subject dead center is often the first symptom of thoughtless photography.

When the subject of your photo is in the middle, the viewer's eye is drawn directly to the center of the photograph and it often stays there. Compositions where the subject is off-center cause the viewer's eye is jump around the image from one element to another. When someone looks at your photographs, you want to keep their eye moving.

A quick note on off-center composition. Most autofocus cameras do their focusing in the center of the frame. Make sure you set your focus to your subject, before you move them off-center. Most cameras have a focus lock, enabling you to set your focus in the middle and then re-compose.

Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds is a simple and effective technique to give your photographs some visual balance. The basics of the rule are this: Imagine that you've drawn a tic tac toe grid on your photograph, cutting it into nine pieces. The points where the lines intersect are the best places to put your subject. By doing this your photo becomes more visually complex and pleasing.

Putting your subject off-center also allows you to balance the subject with a background or foreground element, creating a visual relationship between these elements that will give your viewers more to look at.

Furthermore, when your subject is off to the side of the frame, the other half of the frame can be used to include more information that builds on the photograph, adding more information or more visual ingredients.

What you want to achieve in your compositions is a visual balance. Your viewers' eyes are going to play their way through your photograph like a pinball. By giving them well-arranged elements to look at, you will keep their interest and attention. That's the goal of any photograph: to be looked at.