DOP

DOP (or depth of field) is basically how far into a picture you can see clearly.

This is done with a simple adjustment of the camera lens, but the impact it has on a photo is a lot.


Take a look at this picture:




In reality, it's just a photo of a bench, but the emphasis is put on the swirl of the handle.

This is because that is at the front of the image, and that's what's in focus, everything else (like the end of the bench and the background) is blurred.


Look at the difference between these two pictures:






They are both as big, both have a pretty flower, but the one with the pink flowers looks so much better and more professional. If whoever took the picture of the yellow flower would have played with the depth of field a bit, the photo would have turned out just as amazing as the other one.

balance

Like everything, photography also has its form of balance.

The truth is, this doesn't really have to mean you take a picture of two of the same things on each side. (That might be pretty boring, and if you aren't going to follow the rule of thirds, you should be smart about it.) Balance can mean two of the same things on each side, like I said before, or it can mean there is the same amount of negative space as positive, like in this picture I took of my sister:

If you were to divide the picture diagonally, there would be as much dark space as light space. The photo does kind of break the rule of thirds, but it uses balance instead.

Here's another example using a different type of balance:

This one i took about a year ago, here it's not two trees or two clouds, but they use about the same amount of space.

source 1

source 2

composition :)

The first rule of composition is the rules of thirds.
This states that, no matter how much you want to, DO NOT PUT EMPHASIS IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR PICTURE. The truth is, sometimes it works, but your picture is so much more interesting when you follow the rule of thirds. This is how:
1. Get any picture
2. Divide the picture into three sections on each side (a total of nine small sections)
3. If your emphasis is in the fifth square counting from left to right
OR if you can split the picture in half and its the same on each side, it is NOT following the rule of thirds.

Look at the pictures below and you'll see why you should follow the rule of thirds.

A little cropping to make it so the emphasis isn't in the middle, and the second picture looks so much more interesting. This is because -consciously or unconsciously- your eye is being guided up and to the right of the paper, instead of looking straight at the middle; it makes you have to look at it a little more.

credits for the picture: click here
source 1
source 2