Updated October 13, 2026
Composition is how you arrange what is in your photo, and the secret to good composition is balance. Five easy things to try: repeating lines or objects, leading lines, no overlapping objects, natural frames like doorways and arches, and moving your camera to hide distractions. I’m Katie Donnelly, a Paris photographer, and here is each one with examples.
What You’ll Find in This Blog:
- Why Your Photo Did Not Look Like the Moment
- The Secret to Good Composition Is Balance
- 1. Repeating Lines and Objects
- 2. Leading Lines
- 3. No Overlapping Objects
- 4. Frame Your Subjects Inside Organic Frames
- 5. Move Your Camera to Block Out Distractions
- Photo Composition Questions
- Ready to Book Your Paris Photoshoot?
Why Your Photo Did Not Look Like the Moment
We’ve all done it. You see something – something beautiful. Maybe it’s your daughter laughing or an amazing sunset. You pull out your camera and click, satisfied in the knowledge that the moment is recorded forever.
Until you see it later.
What happened? How did your amazing spectacular moment turn into this slightly tilted unfocused jumbled mess? Or, even if your focus is spot on and you didn’t accidentally stick your finger over the lens, somehow the photo is just plain boring.
What you need to think about before pushing the shutter button is simple – composition.
The Secret to Good Composition Is Balance
The secret to good composition in photos is balance. It’s so easy to photograph your subject straight on, right in the middle of the photo. Of course there’s nothing wrong with this, but if you want to ante up your photography or capture the feeling of the moment along with the visual of it it’s worth mixing it up a bit.
Try look at your subject from different angles. Right, left, up, down.. experiment and bend the “rules” to get more interesting photos. Move in and out, look around, maybe the better shot is right behind you.
Try a few of these easy additions to make your photos better:
1. Repeating Lines and Objects
1/3200 sec at f / 2.2, ISO 100
1/1250 sec at f / 2.5, ISO 100
REPETITION || 1/2000 sec at f / 1.4, ISO 100
REPETITION || 1/1250 sec at f / 1.4, ISO 100
2. Leading Lines
1/1000 sec at f / 1.6, ISO 400
1/1250 sec at f / 2.8, ISO 100
3. No Overlapping Objects
Give each important part of your photograph its own space!
4. Frame Your Subjects Inside Organic Frames
Doorways, painting frames and arches are great for this!!
1/250 sec at f / 1.4, ISO 400
1/500 sec at f / 1.4, ISO 100
1/400 sec at f / 2.8, ISO 400
1/250 sec at f / 1.8, ISO 100
5. Move Your Camera to Block Out Distractions
Move your camera to block out any unwanted objects in your photo, like trash cans, other people and anything distracting.
Get out there and try out some new ways to compose your photos! Share your photos with me over on Instagram in #TheAuthenticPortrait series, a series for learning and growing in photography. Don’t forget to tag your photos with #TheAuthenticPortrait!
This lesson is part of The Authentic Portrait: A Parent’s Guide to Documenting Childhood, my photography guide for parents who want to learn the basics and take better photos of their kids, without spending hours and hours taking classes. I am working on a new edition of the guide. Until it is ready, you can read every lesson in The Authentic Portrait series.
Next lessons: the rule of thirds, straighten up your photos, common photo mistakes and how to fix them, and travel photography tips for your best vacation photos.
Always the one behind the camera?
Hand it over for a morning. Our English-speaking team photographs families in Paris, so you are in the photos too. Sessions start at €150, and you see your photos the same day in our Saint-Germain studio.
Or first see how a Paris photoshoot with us works.
Photo Composition Questions
Composition is how you arrange the elements in your photo. Good composition is about balance, and about making something interesting for the eye.
Leading lines are lines in the scene, such as a path, a row of trees or a staircase, that lead the viewer’s eye toward your subject.
Natural framing means placing your subject inside a frame that is already in the scene, such as a doorway, an arch or a painting frame.
Look at your subject from different angles: right, left, up and down. Move in and out, look around, and try repetition, leading lines and natural frames.
About the author
Katie Donnelly, Paris Photographer
Katie Donnelly is an American photographer who opened her Paris studio in 2013 and was voted Best Portrait Photographer in Paris in 2017. She and her English-speaking team photograph families, couples and solo travelers at sunrise, so visitors go home with relaxed, real portraits instead of rushed selfies. Meet Katie and the team.
Ready to Book Your Paris Photoshoot?
You take the everyday photos. Let us take the ones with you in them.
- When: Mornings, just after sunrise, when the city is quiet
- Who: Families, couples, engagements and proposals, and solo travelers, with an English-speaking team
- Your photos: Viewed the same day at our studio in Saint-Germain-des-Prés
- Session fee: From €150. Inquire for our full price list.
Tell us your dates and we will help you plan the rest.
Or first see how a Paris photoshoot with us works.
