Composition
Photographic composition is just like any other composition, in that the principles of rhythm, balance, placement, and the like all count. This is not really the venue for exploring general design principles (perhaps later…). My feeling is that some photographic experience, particularly with black and white, can really help train the eye as far as composition goes.
That being said, there are some particular points to be addressed with regards to photography and composition. These are more along the lines of techniques or suggestions…
Get Closer
This always seems to be a hard one for beginners. The idea is to crop with the viewfinder, or in the camera, not in the darkroom. Think of it this way: a 35mm negative is roughly 1 × 1½ inches. To get an 8 × 10 inch print, you need to enlarge that negative by some 533%. If the main point of interest is set into a fraction of that negative, the enlargement goes up. The more enlargement, in general, the less image quality. So fill the viewfinder.
Watch the Edges
Another newbie tendency is to look straight down the middle of the viewfinder (hey! that’s where that split-prism focus doohickey is, right?), ignoring what's happening around the edges. And there may be a lot happening around those edges. The edges are where the background and foreground are happening. There are often things poking into the frame that you really don't want. Keep in mind that you are translating the three-dimensional scene into two dimensions, so that utility pole that’s fifty meters behind uncle Fred will look like it’s growing right out of his head in the print. Since that pole is so far away, we tend to disregard it unless we really look at the image as a whole.
Turn the Camera
A camera is like a chain-saw in that it will work at just about any angle. Try using a vertical format for vertical subjects (like people).
The Rule of Thirds
The rule of thirds is a compositional device which divides a scene into thirds, vertically and horizontally. Placing important elements on one of those lines, or enclosing in a third, will make for a stronger composition. Consider the two images below, with the thirds added.
Notice how significant visual elements are either on the lines, or contained in a third? Things like the arm rests on most of the chairs, the seat and back of the foremost chair, the eye holes in the viewer, the axis of the tilt on the viewer. Even though the images were taken without expressly tying to invoke the rule of thirds, it is such a natural way to compose, it just seems to happen, at least once you are aware of it.
Value, Not Hue
It is very important to keep in mind that you are using black and white film. A scene may seem very interesting, but if the composition relies on color contrasts, often times when it is rendered in grays, it falls flat. An orange and a blue hue can have the same value, or darkness/lightness. As much as anything, experience will allow you to translate scenes into monochrome.
