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Your camera’s viewfinder is your best tool for creating the best photo composition. Your viewfinder should look like a frame around your subject, creating the best composition possible before you click the shutter button. Here is how to use your viewfinder to compose a great picture.
Viewfinders and Surprises
First, you need to understand the difference between what you see in a viewfinder and what you get in the finished photo.
Point and shoot cameras crops the image in strange ways, so what you see in your viewfinder isn’t exactly what you get. SLR cameras (Single Lens Reflex), unlike point and shoots, have one lens to view the scene and capture the image, so the picture is going to look exactly like what you saw in the viewfinder. Digital cameras also give you a perfect view of what your picture will look like.
Cropping
Cropping should always be the first thing you do to when planning a picture with your viewfinder.
Use your viewfinder to crop your subject. Look through the viewfinder and use it to eliminate elements that distract from the main subject by visually cutting them off.
An easy way to do this is to use your camera’s zoom. Look through the viewfinder. Zoom in to cut out extra objects from the viewfinder. Zoom out to add more to the subject.
Rule of Thirds
Using the Rule of Thirds can take the mystery out of advanced composition. This technique is used by photographers everywhere.
Find your angle by using the Rule of Thirds by looking into your viewfinder and dividing the area in the viewfinder into thirds horizontally and vertically. Think of the square of your viewfinder as a tic-tac-toe board. Your focal point should lie on at least one of the four line intersections.
So, basically, your subject should be in one of the upper left area, lower left area, upper right area, or lower right area. Generally, this lends to a stronger composition than just centering your subject in your viewfinder, which tends to be quite boring.
Using your viewfinder properly will give you great photos time after time, without the need to edit them later.