Composition is the arrangement of elements within your frame. It is the difference between a snapshot and a photograph. The good news is that a few basic principles cover most situations, and once you have internalized them, you can start making conscious decisions about when to follow them and when to ignore them entirely.
The Rule of Thirds: A Starting Point, Not a Law
The rule of thirds divides your frame into a 3x3 grid. The idea is to place your main subject along one of the grid lines or at one of the four intersection points, rather than dead center. This creates more visual tension and interest than centered compositions.
Most cameras let you display this grid in the viewfinder or on the screen. I recommend turning it on when you are starting out. After a few months it becomes instinctive and you will not need it anymore.
When does centering work better? Symmetrical subjects benefit from central placement. The reflection of Prague Castle in the Vltava river is more powerful when the horizon sits exactly in the middle, creating a perfect mirror. Portraits where you want to convey directness and confidence also work well centered.
Leading Lines
Lines that draw the viewer's eye through the frame are one of the most powerful compositional tools. Roads, railways, rivers, fences, rows of buildings — Czech Republic has no shortage of these.
The cobblestone streets of Prague's Old Town are natural leading lines. Stand at one end of a narrow lane and shoot down it toward a church or archway. The lines of the cobblestones converge toward your subject and pull the viewer's eye exactly where you want it.
Diagonal lines create more energy and movement than horizontal or vertical ones. The Charles Bridge photographed from one end creates strong diagonal lines that lead to the castle in the background. This is one of the reasons it photographs so well.
Framing Within the Frame
Using elements in your scene to create a frame around your subject adds depth and context. Archways, doorways, windows, tree branches, tunnels — anything that surrounds or partially surrounds your main subject creates a natural frame.
Prague is exceptional for this. The city has archways and gates everywhere. Shooting through the Powder Gate toward the Municipal House creates a strong framing effect. The dark arch contrasts with the brighter subject beyond, and the viewer's eye is naturally drawn through the frame to the main subject.
The frame does not need to be complete or perfectly symmetrical. A partial frame — a branch in the upper corner, a wall on one side — can be enough to add depth without feeling contrived.
Negative Space
Negative space is the empty area around your subject. Used deliberately, it gives the subject room to breathe and can make an image feel calm, isolated, or contemplative.
A lone figure on a wide empty square. A single tree against a grey winter sky. A boat on still water with nothing else in the frame. These images work because the emptiness is as intentional as the subject.
Czech Republic's open landscapes outside Prague offer good opportunities for this. The Bohemian countryside in winter, with bare fields and low light, can produce images that are quiet and atmospheric precisely because of what is not in them.
Foreground Interest
Adding an interesting foreground element to a landscape creates a sense of depth and scale. Without a foreground, many landscape photographs feel flat — they show what is there but not what it feels like to be there.
Wildflowers in the foreground with a castle in the distance. Wet cobblestones reflecting the lights of a street at night. A fence post leading into a field. These elements anchor the viewer in the scene and give the eye somewhere to start before moving into the depth of the image.
When to Ignore All of This
Rules are descriptions of what tends to work, not prescriptions for what must be done. Some of the most striking photographs break every rule listed here. A centered, symmetrical portrait can be more powerful than a thirds-based one. A horizon exactly in the middle of the frame can be more interesting than one placed according to the grid.
The key is intentionality. Breaking a rule because you are not thinking about it produces a mediocre photograph. Breaking a rule because you have decided that the centered composition is the right choice for this particular subject produces something interesting.
My advice: follow the rules until they become automatic, then start questioning them. You cannot make an informed decision to break a rule you do not know.