How to improve in photographic composition?

[koraks]

I think the Critique forum in here is a good venue for that, provided that the OP is ready to see their pictures shredded to pieces

In all honesty I doubt that it's very effective or productive to try and use a forum as a 'tutor'. Two concerns come to mind:
1: Too much is lost in translation in comparison with real-life, face to face contact.
2: You get a lot of input from people who might not have the kind of vision that fits yours, nor is it always possible to get an impression of their body of work and approach, making it difficult to determine whose input to prioritize.

 

[foc]

 

[oneeyedpainter]

In all honesty I doubt that it's very effective or productive to try and use a forum as a 'tutor'. Two concerns come to mind:
1: Too much is lost in translation in comparison with real-life, face to face contact.
2: You get a lot of input from people who might not have the kind of vision that fits yours, nor is it always possible to get an impression of their body of work and approach, making it difficult to determine whose input to prioritize.

well, yes, face-to-face critique is the best way, but not everyone has other photographers at hand, especially those with a vision that fits theirs I guess places like Photrio allow at least some level of interaction and comparison. Obviously, it would be better to be mentored by a talented artist than by a random person on the internet, but I guess you get a lot of insight also from the random people in here, and from their comments (which I believe are not *that* random, after all, and always of some value )

OneEyedPainter

 

[juan]

I got better when I stopped reading rules and checked out books from the library. I studied Atget, Adams, and the Weapons by looking at every photo, being sure I looked at everything in the photo, relationships of objects, relationships of objects to the edges and corners. I discovered that Atget, for instance, had different shapes in each corner. I was interest in landscapes in the larger sense. Street photography would be different, but the same study methods apply.

 

[Ian Leake]

Make lots and lots of photos. Print them. Experiment with cropping them in different ways so you can see how they balance. Ask yourself tough questions and give yourself honest answers. If you think a different composition may have worked better, then reshoot to see if you were right. Repeat. Have patience – don't expect to master composition overnight.