Focus on Feeling

A good place to start when you are learning composition is with a feeling. What do you feel about this child you are photographing? What do you want to convey about his or her personality?

Are you trying to convey a message that is bigger than just this child, a feeling about childhood in general? Is it the word wonder that inspires you when photographing a baby peering through the window, as in 5-1? Sometimes starting with a word in your mind allows you to make a choice about what you include or exclude from the frame.

Once you have an idea about the feeling you want to convey, many of the decisions about composition will flow from that initial idea.