Ten Rules of Composition

Rule of Thirds:

The thought is if you place points in the intersections or along the lines, in your photo becomes more balanced, thus the viewer of the image will interact to it more naturally. When viewing images people's eyes usually go to the intersection points more naturally rather than the center of the shot.

Golden Section Rule:

The image is divided into nine unequal parts with four lines. Each line is down so the width of the small part of the image relates to the width of the big part of the image. The intersecting points make the "golden" point of the picture.

Diagonal Rule:

One side of the photo is divided into two, each half is then divided into three parts. The bordering side is divided  so the connecting lines that make the points form a diagonal frame. The important elements of the photo should be placed along the diagonals.

Leading Lines:

Leading lines can be straight, diagonal, curvy, zigzag, radial, etc. Leading lines are lines in an image that leads the eye to another point in the image, or out of the image. Anything with a definite line could be a leading line, fences, bridges, or a shore line.

View Point:

View point is how you want the viewer to see your image. How you want your photo to be viewed. Instead of just taking the photo head on, take it from the side, the back, from far away, or from very close up and so forth.

Depth:

You can create depth in a photo by including objects in the background and middle-ground.

Framing:

By using natural frames such as trees, archways and holes placed around the edge of the composition you isolate the main subject from the outside world. This results in a more naturally focused main point of interest.

Cropping:

Often times a photo will lack impact because the main focal point is so small it gets lost in its surroundings. However by cropping close up to the focal point, you eliminate the background "noise", taking the viewers undivided attention.

Simplicity:

If your focal point is close, the background needs to be very simple to avoid distractions. Try to keep everything not important less interesting than the focal point.Particularly avoid lines or objects that lead the eye away from the focal point.

Texture:

People imagine what it feels like to touch what is in a photo. Texture is a good idea when taking pictures of rocks, walls, surfaces, someones hands, or leaves. To make a photo reveal texture make sure the light is coming almost exactly from the side of the surface so it creates shadows in key places.