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 Shooting Tips: Photographic Composition
The most important consideration for taking photos once
you have mastered operating your camera, is
photographic composition.

Surprisingly, one of the best things you can do to
improve your photographs is to use a tripod. A
tripod will not only give you sharper images but it
will force you to spend more time composing an
image. Tweaking the knobs on a tripod while you look
through the viewfinder will give you time to notice
distracting elements such as branches protruding
into the frame.
Composition 1
Leave room in the direction of gaze or travel of the subject.
 

Notice that the water fall is located on the upper third and left third of the frame. The sky was intentionally left out of the photo because it would have taken attention away from the water fall.
Your photos will improve from the simple process
of just slowing down and being deliberate about
composition, which are inherent with tripod use.

Now that you are using a tripod, it's time to talk
about composing your images using the "rule of thirds".
The rule of thirds has been around for a long time.
It has been used by master painters for centuries.
The "rule of thirds" consists of visually dividing a picture
into thirds, both vertically and horizontally. Once you
envision these lines, place your subject on an intersection
of those lines.

Look at the example above, notice that the waterfall is positioned at the intersection of a vertical and horizontal line. The example to the left has the subject on a third also. Notice that the boater has space left in the direction of his gaze. Leaving room in the direction of a subjects gaze or direction of travel is an important compositional element especially in sports photography. When a subject is placed off center, the image has more visual impact than a stagnant centered subject. Diagonal lines that move a viewers eye across the image is another compositional technique.

Try using this technique from the old masters and see if your photos take on an interesting new character.