Composition

Anyone who has learned to do something complex like playing an instrument or learning a language, knows how much concentration it demands initially, and how it becomes more second nature as you become more proficient.

Good photographic composition is like that. Rules about what constitutes a pleasing image predate photography and were developed by artists in other mediums over centuries. Most, if not all, are applicable to photography.

If you intend to take more than a simple snapshot, then you will want to consider how best to compose or portray the subject. Some people have more of an intuitive gift in this regard. While I was working for a newspaper at one time, there was a guy who was a pretty good reporter, but a terrible photographer. Often, the reporters would also have to take their own pictures for a story they were covering. He would come back with pictures where the tops of heads were missing! I mean, from like the nose up. He did not have what you would call natural ability.

A good composition doesn't always follow the rules. It is like the axiom, "I know it when I see it," the phrase famously used by United States Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart to describe his threshold test for obscenity. Sometimes the image breaks all the rules and still succeeds.

Personally, I have a greater affinity for photographs that have a more painterly look where focus may not be tack sharp. Not in every case, but in some instances, I would prefer to not see every gritty pore. I use "pore" so that you will realize that may be true of you too. Who wants to see a picture of themselves where all the pores are visible? 

I took some liberties with this photo, changing the spectrum of colors. There was also a "hole" in the photo that seemed to cry out for something to fill it. I decided to use this verse about trees from the Bible which I have always thought was an amazing statement of how God cares not only for our physical needs ("food"), but also our souls ("pleasant to the sight"). Notice how it was not just plopped in there but has been carefully formatted to lend the image balance.

Please realize that I am not saying any of these photos are particularly good. They do represent the best I have taken of tree blossoms, however. If they help to drive home an idea, all the better.