By David Bathgate, Documentary & Travel Photographer

When I first picked up a camera seriously in the early '90s, I had no idea that composition would become the obsession that has defined my career. After thousands of assignments across four continents for publications like Time and The New York Times, I've learned one truth: it's not the camera that makes the photograph—it's the eye behind it.

I remember standing in a dusty village in Rajasthan, surrounded by vibrant colors and fascinating faces, yet feeling frustrated with my images. They didn't capture what I was experiencing. That's when I realized I needed to stop photographing what things looked like and start capturing how they felt.

Composition is exactly that—the emotional grammar of photography. Let me share the 12 rules that have guided my work from the crowded streets of Mumbai to the silent deserts of Morocco.

1. The Rule of Thirds: Your Foundation

The rule of thirds divides your frame into nine equal parts with two horizontal and two vertical lines. Place your subject at the intersections of these lines—not dead center.

How to use it:

• Position horizons along the top or bottom third line, never through the middle
• Align the eyes with the upper horizontal line for portraits
• Place key elements at the intersection points of the grid lines
• Turn on your camera's grid overlay until this becomes second nature

I once photographed a fisherman on Dal Lake in Kashmir at dawn. By placing him at the right intersection point with his boat, creating a leading line from the left, the image conveyed both his solitude and connection to the water in ways a centered composition never could.

2. Leading Lines: Create a Visual Journey

Leading lines guide your viewer's eye through the photograph, creating depth and direction.

How to use it:

• Look for natural lines in your environment—roads, rivers, fences, or shadows
• Position these lines to point toward your main subject
• Use converging lines to create depth and dimension
• Avoid lines that lead the eye out of the frame—they should direct attention inward

During an assignment in Fez, Morocco, I used the narrow, winding alleyways to draw viewers deeper into the ancient medina. The lines created by the walls didn't just show a path—they told the story of a journey into history.

3. Framing: Context Matters

Natural frames within your composition add depth and focus attention on your subject.

How to use it:

• Look for doorways, windows, arches, or tree branches that can surround your subject
• Expose for the subject, not the frame—let the framing elements go darker for dramatic effect
• Use framing to provide context about the environment
• Try partial frames (top only, sides only) for subtle direction

4. Balance: The Visual Seesaw

Balance in photography isn't about symmetry—it's about distributing visual weight.

How to use it:

• For formal, stable feelings, use symmetrical balance with similar elements on both sides
• For dynamic, energetic images, try asymmetrical balance with color, size, or shape
• Balance a large, dark object with several smaller, lighter elements
• Create intentional imbalance to convey tension or unease

5. Simplicity: The Power of Less

I've seen too many photographers try to include everything in the frame. The strongest images often contain the fewest elements.

How to use it:

• Ask before each shot: "What can I remove from this frame?"
• Move closer or use a longer lens to eliminate distractions
• Find clean, uncluttered backgrounds that don't compete with your subject
• Focus on a single story or emotion rather than trying to capture everything

On an assignment in Bangladesh, I spent hours photographing shipbreakers working on massive tankers. My breakthrough came when I stopped trying to show the entire scene and instead isolated a single worker against the rusty hull. Sometimes one story tells more than a thousand.

6. Fill the Frame: Bold and Intimate

Don't be afraid to get close—physically or with your lens.

How to use it:

• Move closer or zoom in until your subject fills most of the viewfinder
• Leave about 10% breathing room around the faces for portraits
• Crop out anything that doesn't contribute to your story
• Get close enough to reveal details not visible from a distance

7. Depth of Field: Selective Focus

Controlling what's sharp and what's soft is perhaps your most powerful creative tool.

How to use it:

• Use shallow depth (wide aperture like f/2.8) for portraits and isolating subjects
• Switch to deep depth (narrow aperture like f/16) for landscapes and scenes where everything matters
• Focus on the eyes in portraits—always
• Use selective focus to eliminate distracting backgrounds
• Consider depth of field as a storytelling tool, not just a technical setting

8. Perspective: Change Your Point of View

Where you stand in relation to your subject dramatically changes your message.

How to use it:

• Get low to make subjects look powerful or imposing
• Shoot from above to show patterns or vulnerability
• Find unusual angles to create images that stand out
• Don't just move your camera—physically change your position
• Try the same subject from multiple perspectives to find the most compelling view

In Afghanistan, I photographed a village elder from slightly below eye level, giving him a sense of dignity and authority that reflected his position in the community. The next day, I photographed children playing from a rooftop, showing their relationship to their environment in a way impossible from eye level.

9. Patterns & Repetition: Visual Rhythm

The human eye naturally seeks patterns. Finding and capturing them creates visually satisfying images.

How to use it:

• Look for repeated elements in architecture, nature, or everyday objects
• Show the entire pattern for harmony and order
• Break the pattern with a contrasting element to create focus
• Shoot during early morning or late afternoon when shadows reveal patterns
• Use patterns to create texture and visual interest across your frame

10. The Golden Ratio: Nature's Design Secret

While similar to the rule of thirds, the golden ratio (approximately 1:1.618) creates compositions that feel naturally balanced because this proportion appears throughout nature.

How to use it:

• Place your main subject at the smallest part of a spiral that follows the golden ratio
• Use it as a refinement of the rule of thirds for more sophisticated compositions
• Look for the golden ratio naturally occurring in your subjects
• Don't overthink this—it should feel intuitive rather than mathematical

11. Negative Space: The Power of Nothing

The empty areas around your subject can be as important as the subject itself.

How to use it:
 

• Ensure your subject occupies about one-third (or less) of the frame
• Create a clean, uncluttered space around your main subject
• Use negative space to convey emotions like isolation, freedom, or contemplation
• Remember that negative space can have texture or color—it doesn't have to be empty

During a monsoon in Mumbai, I photographed a single bright yellow umbrella against a vast gray sky. The emptiness around it told the story of isolation amid the overwhelming deluge far better than a crowded street scene could have.

12. Breaking the Rules: Master, Then Rebel

Every rule I've mentioned should be broken—but only when you understand why you're breaking it.

How to use it:

• Break one rule deliberately while maintaining others
• Know exactly why you're breaking a rule—what effect are you trying to achieve?
• Use rule-breaking to create tension, surprise, or emphasize your message
• Study how master photographers break rules effectively
• Experiment with breaking different rules to develop your personal style

Some of my most published images deliberately violate these principles. A perfectly centered subject can convey powerful symmetry. A cluttered frame can communicate chaos. The rules aren't chains—they're foundations.

The Practice of Seeing

Photography isn't just about pressing a button—it's about training yourself to see differently. According to research by Cambridge University, the average person spends less than 20 seconds looking at a photograph in a gallery. Your composition needs to communicate instantly.

I've found that the best way to improve is through deliberate practice:

1. Choose one compositional rule each week
2. Take 50 photographs focusing solely on that principle
3. Review your images critically, noting what worked and what didn't
4. Repeat with the next rule

After three decades behind the camera, I still do this exercise whenever I feel my work becoming formulaic.

Conslusion

Composition isn't something you master once and forget—it's a lifelong journey of refinement. Even now, I find new ways to arrange elements within my frame to tell more compelling stories.

The next time you pick up your camera, slow down. Don't just photograph what you see—photograph what you feel. Ask yourself: "What story am I trying to tell with this image?" Then use these compositional tools to tell that story more effectively.

What aspect of composition will you focus on in your next photography session? The path to more powerful images begins with your very next frame.

Ready to take your photography further? Join me for an immersive workshop in Morocco or India, where we'll explore these principles in some of the world's most visually rich environments. Visit The Compelling Image to learn more about upcoming opportunities to transform how you see and capture the world.