The most important part of photography is to watch and then compose photographs. Photos could be clear and sharp, with good color, but may appear as boring to the viewer. It’s very important to learn to look around and search for interesting scenes. Walk around and look at your subject from different angles and take into consideration other factors like available light or the background.

Some basic rules to be followed while composing a photo are:

• Don’t keep too many points of interest in the photo. Try and keep only one central theme of Interest as having too many interest points would distract the eyes and lose focus ultimately.


• Make use of “rule of the 3rd” which is a well known photography rule, which states that never focus your subject in the centre of the frame. The rule of the third is that you should divide your camera’s viewfinder visually into a grid of 3×3 and try and place your subject in the 1/3rd grids either from the left or right.


• Focus on the subject’s color. The subject’s cloth colors shouldn’t try to win over with the subject being primarily shot. While shooting scenes with too many colors it is necessary to identify what needs more attention and what doesn’t.


• Align your subject’s properly with the use of the correct lens. Avoid keeping the point of interest in the picture around the frame edge as this would lead the viewer’s eyes out of the frame.


• Choose whether to shoot vertically or horizontally: A vertical format enhances height, hence use it to shoot subjects like canyons, cliffs. A horizontal format enhances the width, so use it to shoot large stretch of water, vast open fields or deserts.


• Look for some good patterns in nature and lay emphasis on it. For example, look for patterns made by flora, edges of mountains, sand on beaches could appear amazing if you frame your subject wisely in coordination with them.


• Shooting times of the day: Noon is the worst time to take photographs as light is harsh and very bright. Bright sunlight makes people squint and casts dark shadows on the people or objects you're photographing. The period during sunrise and sunset have the best light for producing stunning photographs. Sunrise light is soft and provides more pale tones while sunset is harder, and provides harsher tones.


• Shooting on an overcast or cloudy day is best as it gives us details of colors in the picture. Close-up photos of nature, flowers and greenery turn out very well. Some clouds are also very camera-friendly and give a sense of balance to the images.


• Portraits are best shot with the help of soft indirect light coming in from a window, or through a diffuser, or with indirect flash bouncing back from the ceiling or walls.


• Body position: While shooting it is advisable to hold your breathe and squeeze the shutter gently rather than pressing it with a jerky motion. Keep your arms against your sides and your elbows shouldn’t be sticking out. All the above will help you in preventing camera shakes that produce blurred pictures.
  

If you memorize these tips and put them into practice, you are sure to get compliments from people around you on your fabulous photos.