Add "Stopping Power" To Your Shots
by 
What separates a good photograph from a ho-hum snapshot? What makes your friends and family ask to see more instead of thinking, "I've seen enough!"
The answer lies in adding stopping power, or impact, to your pictures. One of the best ways to accomplish this is by effective composition.
Composition can be thought of as meaningful placement of the main subject and supporting elements in the picture, including the elimination of unnecessary and unwanted detail.
The next time you look through your camera and are about to push the shutter, stop. Yes, stop and take a really good second look. Examine the subject. If it's a person, see if there's a tree or telephone pole "growing" out of his or her head. Is your subject placed in a dynamically strong part of the frame? Check all four corners of the viewfinder. Is there something there, perhaps distracting, that doesn't belong?
Good composition begins with a solid look through the camera and a calculated determination of what you, the photographer, want to record on film in the most effective way.
Here are some basic guidelines to help you plan and obtain good composition:
Consider vertical vs. horizontal. Most cameras produce a rectangular picture, so try fitting this format to your subject. People and trees, for example, go up and down, so most often a vertical composition should be used. Horizons go sideways, so a horizontal format is appropriate.
Move in close! Filling the frame with your subject is perhaps the best way to add stopping power to your shot. This way, your picture is simplified and the viewer's attention isn't distracted. When photographing a person or an animal, filling the frame is easily done with a telephoto lens.
Check subject placement. Avoid placing the main subject directly in the middle of the picture. Photographs appear static and less interesting this way. Rather, by placing the subject off-center, a dynamic quality will be given to your shot that will make it much more exciting.
Frame your subject. Remember to use framing techniques that have recently been discussed to make your photographs work more effectively. In short, be on the lookout for tree branches or an archway that will give your shot special impact.
Use lead-in lines. Elements in a picture should help lead attention towards the subject. Lead-in lines could be roads, fences, streams, pathways, even parts of a building.
Watch your horizons. Make sure that they are level in your picture, not running up or downhill. Remember that a low horizon line in your shot will accentuate spaciousness, especially when you have a dramatic sky. A high horizon line will de-emphasize the sky and instead will suggest closeness.
Above all, to add more impact and stopping power to your pictures, get in the frame of mind as you look through the frame of your viewfinder that you are now "making a photograph", not merely taking a snapshot.