Secrets to Making Centre Compositions Work

Composition is one of my favourite topics for discussion in landscape photography, but the power of this important concept can be overlooked by both beginner and advanced photographers alike. 

When I was new to landscape photography, my excitement about this genre and perhaps even a little FOMO (fear of missing out) had me running into a landscape scene, plunking down my tripod and capturing as many images as possible. At that time, rarely did I consider thoughtful composition a priority in creating my pictures. 

One of the first rules of composition that a photographer learns is the Rule of Thirds (ROT) approach to image design. ROT suggests dividing a frame on the horizontal and vertical axis into thirds. Then, the main subject or essential elements are positioned within the frame, preferably at the intersection of these imaginary lines. Horizon lines are also typically placed along the upper or lower horizontal ROT lines.  

Sometimes photography rules are meant to be broken, and centre compositions in landscape photography can break the popular ROT composition suggestion. There are several different situations in which a centre composition works well, and below are a few situations where centre composition might work best in a landscape setting.

• The photographer wants to bring attention front and centre within an image to the main subject while eliminating or reducing the visual impact of additional competing elements within a frame. 
• When a frame is composed vertically because the scan path for the image is relatively thin; therefore, there is less opportunity to include visual elements effectively to the left and right sides of the main subject.
• Landscape scenes where balance exists when the composition is centred. 

Take, as an example, the image below. I purposefully composed the image with a centre composition that showcases Mount Rundle without the usual mountain ranges at each side of this popular scene. When on location I was also drawn into the foreground bubbles' visual interest, which aligned well with the mountain in the repetition of a centred composition. Now I could have also centred the horizon line, but in this scene, I preferred the horizon placement at approximately the 1/3 upper ROT line. Sometimes it works to mix up compositions too!  

^{ISO 100, 24mm, f10, 1 second} 

Don't be afraid to experiment with different approaches to composition in your landscape photography. By doing so, you'll allow yourself to learn and grow in your journey as a photographer. Also, embrace centre composition when your landscape scene supports this choice in composition.