To improve your photography compositions, SIMPLIFY them!
1. Duo-tone
Two colors — just black and red:
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/A480851B-DCA7-441F-BF87-DFBF1ABF8940.jpeg?ssl=1)
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![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/26CF2C81-BFD9-4D3A-8155-68C3348D23B7.png?ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/6AFB57FC-79E7-42BC-A711-697E2EF7D60B.png?ssl=1)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/C6380DB5-5816-4048-AFDF-F8598C0B7E24.jpeg?ssl=1)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/B4FE46FE-7DC4-4783-BA3E-974F26FA8B4F.jpeg?ssl=1)
![Cindy gif](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/A96A6B48-5570-4DF4-B8C8-C8FB77EE5EE0.gif?ssl=1)
2. Single subject, direct eye contact
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/E45DDD07-1BD6-468E-BC2B-B70F9B119EF0.jpeg?ssl=1)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/0192B3C9-17FD-4BAB-9BAD-03FECCC87EC2.jpeg?ssl=1)
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![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/1C19DD21-9709-46D7-A257-BDBF3F80A017.jpeg?ssl=1)
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Something I learned from Steve McCurry:
When photographing a single person, try to get their eye directly in the center of the frame.
![Center eye](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/9ACBB069-A8A0-4139-BC61-8689955B8651-2000x1500.jpeg?resize=2000%2C1500&ssl=1)
This is the “center eye” composition.
3. Get insanely close
When shooting street photography with a wide angle lens (24mm, 28mm), get insanely close to your subject.
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/C5A89A3C-0656-4F5A-BC7C-64F8A0C76168.jpeg?ssl=1)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/CC5DB4D0-8A29-4918-A88F-83F0863DAE2F.png?ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3F6FEC24-869E-4C5D-A594-DD880C8A353E.jpeg?ssl=1)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/533B09AF-3729-46D0-9E77-B7E68776101C.gif?ssl=1)
![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/EE21EC59-C3DB-44CA-93DF-8B38A5F2D601.jpeg?ssl=1)
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4. Find a clean background, crouch, and wait for a single subject to enter the frame
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/2647E086-5DF9-4EA5-BA88-1532F2D72805.jpeg?ssl=1)
![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/00C5250C-8F17-4E07-AD06-373AB4FF35CE.jpeg?ssl=1)
![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/CB6C9791-BDF1-4A6F-B830-E1DFD8014E32.jpeg?ssl=1)
![Tokyo gif](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/EF5709C5-0105-4E94-922F-7EBB093AF7E3.gif?ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/2D0A1C87-FC16-4F96-B54E-ED4D227D9A1E.jpeg?ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/21A84AD5-C5F8-4239-B3EA-09BA6455AA90.jpeg?ssl=1)
5. Natural light, +2 overexpose (high key)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/7E96237E-8DA3-4CC1-9FDB-787595BCE98A.jpeg?ssl=1)
![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/21712D4F-68F4-4628-B2D8-A2AEC4A5A5C3.png?ssl=1)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3B100163-E2E3-42C1-844B-181A7AF72363.jpeg?ssl=1)
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![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/FC00738A-B964-4DCD-81CC-AB8D94AA30C6.jpeg?ssl=1)
6. Just photograph hands
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/13F9C39D-1E01-4F3A-9217-7E418725D3C3.jpeg?ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/7CB1FC06-2805-40F2-95E5-7F991F5F6B48.png?ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/AC30A36C-8868-4C8E-B28F-5DD397FDB250.png?ssl=1)
![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/A312CDD2-3673-4C5E-AAAD-1D312EA02BF7.gif?ssl=1)
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7. Hand gesture, curve, arabesque
Photograph of Cindy under a bright light, shot on RICOH GR II at -1 exposure compensation.
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/A925EAC3-972B-43EB-90F5-6A6BECC1543D.jpeg?ssl=1)
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