The composition of a photo can be made up of several different factors. Maybe the sun is hitting a subject in a specific way. Maybe there's a really beautiful reflection. Maybe somebody stands out amongst a crowd. Composition isn't the same from photo to photo. But what makes it good? What makes a picture grab the viewer's attention, what makes people like an image?

The answer is actually quite simple. In the rather short time that I've been taking photos, I've found that there is no rule of composition. Do what you think looks good, and often times it turns out. Some people will tell you that you "have to compose" in a specific way, but that just isn't true. Do it the way you want to, it just works. 

If you are looking for some tips however, then I've got some for you. Here are a few different basic tips on composition in your photography. 

Rule of Thirds / Rule of Fifths

The Rule of Thirds and the Rule of Fifths follow the same general idea, dividing up your image into a grid, and aligning your scene's points of interest along the grid lines and their points of intersection. You can also use these grids to position subjects within the boxes. It doesn't have to be perfect, these are just guidelines. Here are some examples of these rules:

Symmetry

Symmetry is pretty easy to accomplish. You can draw an imaginary line down the middle of the picture, either horizontally or vertically. You then try and align the frame so that the image is symmetrical on either side of the line. Here are a couple of examples of symmetry in photography:

Negative Space

Negative space is the empty space around a subject or between the subject of an image. Negative space can be used to create shapes or patterns that might be important to an image. It can also be used to create a sense of isolation for the subject(s). Here are some examples of what negative space might look like: 

Again, none of these rules have to be followed at all. There are plenty of pictures out there with very wacky composition, yet they are still great. Do what you think works out, because it does.