A Fail-Proof Compositional Approach
When it comes to composition, one approach has always worked well for me. This method is failproof for me—it always brings me back to storytelling. Before I even line up my shot, I ask myself: Who or what is the subject? Who is the hero of this photograph? Just like in a novel or a film, there's a hero —the main character, the lead role. Your subject could be a person, a building, a flower, a mountain range, a statue—anything that serves as the anchor of your image. It’s what tells the viewer, “This is what this photo is about.” This element is the main focus and carries the most visual weight, even if it appears small within the frame.
Your hero should be the central focus, whether your eye is drawn there by a leading line, a movement, a pattern, or a play between highlight and shadow. Identify your hero first. Next, think about which compositional techniques you can use to guide the viewer's eye to your subject: leading lines, a beam of light, frames within the frame, patterns, shapes, or the rule of thirds, and so on.
Choose your subject first, then reach for your composition toolbox to support that choice to develop your frame. Think of it as: "Hero first, frames second."
Next, consider the secondary actors—the supporting characters, just like in a film. These elements support your hero and your subject's story. Sometimes they create visual tension, or there’s an intentional relationship between your hero and the secondary subject. They shouldn’t distract, but rather enhance the story and frame your hero—unless you deliberately want to create tension or rhythm by directing the viewer’s eye back and forth. I like to think of this as setting the stage. Your hero takes the spotlight, but the rest of the scene—the lighting, supporting elements, and background—all work quietly to enhance the moment. The key is to be intentional. Every object, every shadow, and every bit of negative space should serve your story in some way.
Then come the third, fourth, and beyond, the additional extras in your frame. These might be small details, objects, trees, buildings, or extra people. They can add context, contrast, and additional information to your photo, enriching the overall story. They can also serve as compositional elements to help frame or highlight your subject. As you frame your shot, ask yourself: "What background detail deepens the plot?" “What further tells the story of this subject?” “What additional elements, either in the foreground, midground, or background, tell what this photo is about?”This reflection helps cultivate a more layered seeing, encouraging you to scan for these vital contextual clues.
When you approach composition this way, it becomes much easier to see the frame as a whole—and to decide whether you need to crop, zoom out, add in or remove something, wait for something to move into your frame, or change your angle or perspective. This mindset helps you see the photo in layers, allowing you to make decisions in the moment and recompose your shot as needed. I hope these examples explain this concept!
Here are some visual examples:
This waiter is my subject, my “hero” of the image, The other waiters, the coffee, the bar setting are all secondary and teircheary characters of this frame. They don’t “visually compete” with him but support the story of where this is and what’s happening.
Snoozing Winslow is the main subject here, and I used the wall to frame him naturally, creating the feeling of quietly peeking into the room without disturbing him. It was a deliberate compositional choice to support that sense of calm and intimacy. There was also a busy-looking plant nearby, and by cropping it out with the edge of the wall, the focus stays on him. The other elements — the chair, the lamp, and the plant on the right — act as supporting characters, adding warmth and context to the scene, while the picture frames in the background serve as subtle extras that complete the story. Winslow is positioned on the right lower 1/3 of the frame.
The artist is the main subject here, while the prints, papers, and art table serve as secondary elements that add context to the scene. I used the tree as a natural framing device and left enough space on the right to include the drying papers, giving just the right amount of information about what he’s doing rather than cropping in too tightly. He also resides on the left 1/3 visual plane.
These four men are the main subjects, the central characters of the frame. The rocks and the additional people in the background act as secondary and tertiary elements that add depth and context. I intentionally positioned the group along a diagonal to create a stronger sense of movement and visual flow throughout the image.
In this landscape example, the West Maui mountains are the main subject. I intentionally included the red of the flotation ring and the boat’s railing to fill some of the negative space, provide context, and frame the mountains. These elements act as secondary characters, supporting the story without overpowering the mountains. The red is quite bright in the ring (more than I like), but it does lead your eye to the mountains.
In this food example, the main hero is the little teatime tree in focus with the swirl. The remaining treats, along with the teapot and vase in the background, serve as secondary and tertiary elements that support the scene. Carefully choosing your depth of field (f/2.8 in this example) can help emphasize your main subject and guide the viewer’s eye through the composition.
In this frame, the chef is the main subject. The table, chairs, trees, and the little dog on the far right act as secondary and tertiary elements. How you determine what’s secondary or tertiary depends on the visual attention each element commands. For me, the table reads as secondary because it occupies the most visual space, while the eye eventually finds the little dog, making it a tertiary element. I chose not to crop too tightly, leaving space at the top with the trees to provide context and guide the viewer’s eye. This negative space also balances the visual weight of the table below, preventing the composition from feeling cluttered or too busy. She is also on the vertical 1/3 plane of the photo.
The cat is the main subject here, though I do wish his color contrasted more to make him stand out. The plant acts as a secondary subject, and the moped serves as a tertiary subject. I used the plant on the left to frame and tighten up the scene naturally. I avoided cropping too tightly to preserve the context and the story of what’s happening in the frame.
In this lifestyle shot, the lounge chairs are the main subjects. The pool and umbrella serve as secondary subjects, while the palm leaves act as tertiary subjects. I used palm leaves to frame the scene and draw attention to the chairs in a natural way. Secondary and tertiary subjects can support or frame your main subject, guiding the viewer’s eye without distracting from it. Here, the palm leaves enhance the composition while keeping the focus on the chairs. I intentionally found an angle to use the palm fronds as a frame for the chairs, and I also added some visual interest that would otherwise be a bit boring with empty bushes and plain umbrellas. The palms help fill the space and provide a story, even though they are just a tertiary element.
The pear tart is actually the main subject here, not my sweet Winslow. Because its in the center and also on a white plate, your eye goes directly there and then goes to Winslow, then the boots, and the pears and figs taking in the whole scene in a complete circle. Winslow and the pears are secondary subjects, while the boots, blanket, and leaves are just extras to support the story.
In this landscape example, the blooming spring tree at the center is the main subject. The surrounding trees and the soft blur of cow parsley in the foreground act as secondary elements, while the branches at the top help frame the composition. Since the subjects are visually similar, the surrounding trees serve as supporting characters, adding context, depth, and a natural frame that draws attention to the central tree in full bloom.
This one’s a bit of a trick question — what do you think the main subject is? The flour jar or the baker? For me, it’s the flour jar. I chose to keep it in sharp focus, while the bread boules, baking tools, and the baker in the background act as secondary and additional characters that add context. My eye naturally goes straight to the flour jar first, which is usually a good sign of what the intended subject is in an image. Typically, I eyes search for what is in focus in the frame first so our eyes and brain can make out what we are looking at, then we look at the rest of the frame to make sense of it as a whole which is why storytelling and your choice of aperture are intricately connected.
The main subject here is the church at the very top. From there, your eye naturally follows the line of the mountain down to the clock tower on the right — the secondary subject — and then to the larger building below, before finally landing on the bush in the foreground and then back around again. Your eye instinctively looks for a path to follow, moving through the subjects in a natural flow. When composing your shot, think about that visual journey and how you want the viewer’s eye to move through the frame from the main subject, to secondary subjects and so on…whether they are objects, shadows, highlights, buildings, people… any element in your frame counts.