The Art of Composition is to articulate a meaning, a mood, to tell a story. Photographs have most impact when the subject is clear, the emphasis we put on it is called Visual Weight. If your primary subject is well separated in the frame, the viewer should be left in no doubt as to our intention.

Let us look at this example of a monk standing in Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal; the figure and his shadow are the only subjects in the frame. Notice how I say SUBJECTS, because most people would say there is only ONE Subject, the Monk – but in fact, his shadow is also a subject, and the point of this article is to consider the Visual Weight of ALL elements within the frame.

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