The best (and fastest) way to master composition

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So much is written and talked about composition in landscape photography, and most people don't know what they're talking about. Composition is not about rules, or following someone else's guidelines. All that does is make you compose like them.
In this video I give you one tip that will change the way you see and compose forever. It's faster, easier, more fluid, natural and personal than any other method.
If you want to support our work, give the video a thumbs up, subscribe, but an eBook, join the forum, or buy Out of Darkness. You could even come on a workshop with me and Adam Gibbs.
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Video edited by Ann Kristin Lindaas
Images ©Alister Benn
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[@Catchadream]

I enjoyed your video. I must have been more excited because I was with my colleagues. I support your work.

[@Alister_Benn]

Thank you so much!

[@louisebarker4011]

Brilliant channel - will be watching again soon. Thanks for all your hints and tips, both within camera and during edit process.

[@hurleygreen927]

Keeping it simple and back to BASICS! Thanks

[@tjmanou6422]

outstanding as always. thank you

[@Xo1ot1]

Great simple answer to a very complicated question. Bravo.

[@DA-yd2ny]

Love it ♥. It's as simple as that. Thanks for sharing, Alister

[@Alister_Benn]

Sometimes simple is the best way

[@AnnamariaFic]

Awesome! Terrific lesson. Even I can remember this.

[@Alister_Benn]

Haha, I do like it simple ❤️

[@martinoberstein8431]

Superb editing - thank you ever so much, Alister!

[@Alister_Benn]

Thanks very much ❤️

[@matsfotografi]

Great video as always! Point your camera at the cool... Now there's a tattoo worth paying for😄

[@Alister_Benn]

Haha, ™❤️❤️❤️

[@hilleviupmanis8687]

Thank you!

[@maolbeatha]

You said something in this video that has had me thinking about it since I watched it. It connected a few dots. Another piece of the puzzle. Thank you. 👍

[@Alister_Benn]

Love that! Delighted to hear it...

[@robertakayne3853]

Thank you for the awesome video Alister. I've been shooting for 30 years but I always learn something from your presentations. I love how you cropped the photo to be a pano and I wish I could process photos like you do; your fine tuning made it go from ho hum to amazing and captivating. Hope you enjoy your holiday away! And I hope to meet you in person some day on one of your workshops! Many thanks!

[@Alister_Benn]

Thank you so much, that’s very kind of you. Would be awesome to meet one day ❤️ having a lovely break in the middle of nowhere

[@jefftrapp5407]

One of your better videos, enjoyed it.

[@magnegrimen3376]

Thanks Allistair, yet another great video! 😀

[@Alister_Benn]

Happy to hear that, many thanks

[@billbarraclough9653]

Very cool, Alister! Glad you are recovering

[@Alister_Benn]

Many thanks, yes, on the mend now

[@joshuaziff3302]

Cool! Keep feeling better and enjoy the trip with your mother and wife. Thanks for the video.

[@Alister_Benn]

Thank you so much, having a really great time thank you

[@vaunsphotography6820]

Interesting ideas on cropping! Since I love reflections, I might have tried a vertical slice with that tree and its reflection.

[@happymystic9800]

Thank you for this instructive video. The X-PAN version is really oustanding. The way you cropped and processed it gave the illusion of this little tree standing in a cave with stalactites in the background. Highly effective and outstanding (in the true sense of the word as far as the tree goes) … the key takeaway to me is „Compositions do not exist“.

[@Alister_Benn]

Thanks so much, I appreciate that. Compositions don’t exist until the artist finds a perspective to imply visual relationships and further excludes non helpful content (the cool/uncool ratio) ❤️

[@AdamMatthewsPhotography]

The True North 🍁❤ A great video, this really cut through a lot of noise when it comes to what to photograph and how to compose it. It also made me realize I want to go back and reread your ebooks, which are fantastic! Hope your vacation is everything you want it to be!

[@rodbotic]

I was at fairy tree a couple of weeks ago. we had a river otter diving around it. so that was nice.

[@TheseMaineTowns]

Thank you.

[@mkbuhain]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge on composition, I have difficulties recently on this topic and watching your video inspired very much! For me, talking about composition is always a cool topic!

[@Alister_Benn]

That’s great to read, thank you 🙏

[@blivieriphoto]

Great video Alister! Love your mantra, find whats cool and eliminate the rest. Thanks!

[@Alister_Benn]

Thanks Barb. Sometimes we make things so hard for ourselves. I’ll pad this all out in the new eBook ❤️

[@blivieriphoto]

@@Alister_Benn I never really did complicate things. When I first started, that was how I did it. Pointed at what looked cool. I didn't quite eliminate the uncool. Usually because I was using the wrong lens. Hard to eliminate things with a wide angle lens. lol But slowly I've tried to do that. But back when I started watching (some) youtuber, some said "you need foreground, mid ground, and background and blah blah blah". I'm thinking, hell, I'm lucky I can find a cool subject much less foreground mid and back. lol So I ignored them. 😂 I hate conformity. 😁 Thanks Alister!

[@luzr6613]

This is refreshing and stimulating. My brain needs this channel. Thank you - from the swamp.

[@Alister_Benn]

Awesome, obvious delighted to hear that

[@esanford]

One of your best video... It really "gets me thinking"....

[@Alister_Benn]

Excellent, delighted to hear that mate - I made it with you in mind ❤️

[@esanford]

@@Alister_Benn I appreciate that; I love the tie-in from the field to processing. I have been really practicing that, especially aspect ratio in camera. That really simplifies my work in Lightroom.

[@andrzejossowski5771]

The more I listen to you and read your books the more appreciate your skills as a photographer and a teacher.

[@marcstaples9930]

Really helpful the way you draw the focus from a fulklframe approach to the final focsued (cool) final approach. It opens my way of looking at locations and determining the final composition. Thanks for the great video and hope your feeling now much better after picking up Covid. Take care and look forward to you being back after the vacation

[@Alister_Benn]

Many thanks for the great feedback and I am delighted the video has been useful. Starting to recover my strength again and enjoying being away from the office for some R&R

[@finnwang1538]

Absolutely crazy cool and inspiring. Thanks! 🤗🇳🇴📷

[@Alister_Benn]

Awesome comment, thanks so very much 🙏

[@bobstevemd3265]

Bro this video is so good im loving seeing the views counter go up. When zoro master's enma he can do feats like oden cutting the boar in half at the atomic level so it was still alive.

[@slyne1000]

Hello Alister. I just tripped over your YT clip while searching for advice on my photography journey. I had to chuckle over the composition subject of your video. I live very close to the "Fairy Tree" here on Vancouver Island and have many shots of it. As does many many others. Small world. Anyway, very informative clip, I look forward to more. Cheers.

[@NicolasAlexanderOtto]

Why turn off? Composition is one of the most interesting topics, because even pros always improve upon this. I've been a pro for several years now and it is my favorite topic to talk and educate about and always find myself learning new things (even though I had several semesters of image theory in uni and thought I already knew everything). Lovely to hear your approach, all the more since I am a musician as well.

[@Alister_Benn]

Haha, good for you. ❤️ thanks for watching

[@alexdamman6805]

I got a lot out of this. You are very encouraging to those of us who want to create great photos. I am not satisfied with where you took the faerie hemlock and that gives me a lot to think about. I particularly appreciate how you describe the stance of the photographer in the world, for example to say that the world has not been made to be photographable. I wish that more people would articulate their ideas about this.

[@Alister_Benn]

Many thanks, I appreciate the kind words and I'm pleased it resonates with you.

[@astridpreisz519]

A great video for those who struggle with the fact that "everything is already there" in nature and who ask themselves what the photographer's share is. Thank you for reminding us that composition is not a given in nature but something we have in our hands by seeing, engaging, selecting, sometimes abstracting. Point your camera at the "cool" - Yes! 😁

[@Alister_Benn]

Thanks so much. It was funny, the expression just came to me when Carlin asked ❤️ good morning from the Outer Isles ❤️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿❤️

[@astridpreisz519]

@@Alister_Benn And I think it's perfect! Simple and so much to the point! It's all it needs 😁! Greetings back to the Outer Hebrides! We got rid of the rain and have 30 degrees now. I'm so jealous - wish I could be there!

[@Alister_Benn]

@@astridpreisz519 yes, we’re “home” now ❤️

[@astridpreisz519]

@@Alister_Benn ❤ Happy for you!

[@ingabett]

Thank you for this grate tips! Short enough for me to be able to remember 😅 and I’m watching this video while having Covid myself. Hope you have a great vacation!

[@Alister_Benn]

So sorry to hear you’re sick with COVID. Hopefully it’s not too bad. I was shocked at how bad I got it. Feeling fine now and getting stronger day by day. Glad to hear this video has been helpful

[@subodhshetty1]

Look who’s here 😀😍

[@susanfirth2279]

Oh I like that - "point your camera at the cool, then eliminate the uncool". I liked the processing on the last image where you flipped it. Never thought of doing that. By the way, nice t-shirt. Glad you enjoyed your time in Canada but sorry you were hit by Covid.

[@ojanmaul]

Nice tip! But honestly, mastering composition is a journey that requires a lot of practice and experimenting. There's no one-size-fits-all solution, but this is definitely a great starting point!

[@davidnieuwenhuis2590]

Thanks and i hope you will recover soon. Have a great holiday, cheers

[@Rooster0529]

I don’t take a lot of landscapes but mostly focus on wildlife, but when I do I can never get the final to look like what I saw or even what I imagined it would or could be. I think I always do too much in post and ruin the outcome. This was very educational. Thank you.

[@Alister_Benn]

Really pleased to hear that. None of my teaching is about right or wrong, it is about understanding two words "Impact" and "Consequences" - let those be our guide.

[@jennifercrouse]

Paid for my spot for next year's A&A Meeting today! Can't wait to point my camera at the cool with you! It is interesting to hear your reaction to an oft photographed icon with seemingly limited composition options. I hope you are feeling better!

[@Alister_Benn]

LOL, A&A - nice. Can’t wait to meet you ❤️

[@Highdepthfilms]

Thanks Alister, great video. Hope you are feeling better. I’ve had COVID twice. Sucks.

[@Alister_Benn]

Wow, sorry to hear that. Once is enough for me ❤️

[@keithj30]

very much like the abstract image

[@Alister_Benn]

Me too. One of my favourite images from my time on the island

[@horstschoninger1265]

🎯

[@Raynorczerwinski]

Great video! Thanks for taking the time to make this while still under the weather. Hope you feel 100% soon! Did you get some traction on the blue hyperfocal distance scale on the gfx system? We went back and forth a bit a while ago about that on a you tube video I think. Curious if you found that tool helpful while shooting :-)

[@Alister_Benn]

Hiya, thanks so much for the kind wishes. Beginning to feel better and getting my strength back. I just confess I haven’t used the blue scale very much. I did a lot of focus stacking in Canada, but yes, for manual focus it was hugely helpful

[@hectorrios5176]

The only downside I see is that not everyone can see easily that this is a lake. And that’s part of the “magic” of the tree, that it grew in the middle of a big lake (which we don’t see). We also miss the size relation between the other trees and this one. And that is part of the “story” or image that want to be presented. I would try to emphasize this small tree in another way, but presenting also more from the lake and forest (more environment) so people see quickly the environment where this small tree was able to grow (that’s the story or main theme, right).

[@rolandrickphotography]

Love your videos, so calm and informative to the point. - Besides: Isn’t that also Gavin‘s most beloved tree?

[@Alister_Benn]

Haha, I think it’s a favourite tree for many people ❤️

[@tovesvensson6261]

👍good video

[@Alister_Benn]

Happy to hear that, thanks for the comment

[@chucktate12]

Hi Allister. Your photography career reflects who you were as an artist and what you have become with teaching along the way. How does your other art forms like music play into your photography journey? How does your wife influence your creativity? Did all these things holistically blend into your mature expressive and artistic self?

[@TheDeterminedRunner]

Hope the recovery goes quickly Alister. You mentioned you are able to crop heavily due to your 102mp Fuji camera, do you have a recommendation for megapixels to be able to crop heavily, to help enable more choice of a picture within a picture, such as you did with the tree?

[@Alister_Benn]

Hard question to answer. I used Nikon D850’s for years and was able to crop, so I’d say any modern digital camera has that latitude. Thanks for the comment and kind wishes

[@jerrye1001]

Amazing. I'd love to attend a workshop! Do you get out to the West Coast?

[@Alister_Benn]

MNy thanks for that. West coast of Scotland? Very much so. West coast of Canada also ❤️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇨🇦❤️

[@graysonsoldahl]

I thought the tree’s reflection was too cool to cut. Thanks for the lesson.

[@Alister_Benn]

Yeah, I get that and most photos from there keep it. You’ll note I did two versions, one with, one without.

[@AhmetElhann]

To summarize, it looks like you took a random photo with your badass camera and cropped the hell out of it to keep the "cool".

[@MrBillkaz]

Funnily or insultingly enough This morning I was shooting at a park and had a couple go bye that I got a cold vibe from .. still said hello..they came back around and the wide real bitchily was espousing to her husband that something “isn’t art!” …some people are some people

[@BrunoChalifour]

Hmm, this sounds more like a talk on extensive if not critical cropping in front of a computer screen than "mastering composition" in the field. The jist of this seems to be "simplify and get rid of visual detritus that may distract the viewer from the photographer's point"; in short photograph anything against a white (Avedon) or gray (Penn) background, or use a telephoto lens (rather than cropping after the fact), [it is probably more "photographic" to use the full frame of your camera, the photographer's first and ultimate cropping tool. All the cropping looks as if the person behind the camera did not adapt to the situation and forced it to be what it was not, as if composition was an after-thought in front of a computer screen rather than a crucial step of photographing) and isolate one element. This sounds like pretty baseline advice and far from my idea of "mastering composition " but it is a good example of your thought process.

[@DanielPetre]

You are Steve Jobs.

[@Alister_Benn]

LOL, the similarity ends with the black polo neck!

[@janewebb4483]

I am confused about the intended meaning of "cool"..cool in temperature or cool in feels great.

[@Alister_Benn]

Definitely the latter ❤️

[@janewebb4483]

Thank you. Photographers have the best info on composition. As a painter, temperature is top most in the mind when using that term. 😊

[@dominiclester3232]

Sorry, the phrase is excellent but examples 1+2 just look like you needed a longer lens. Example 3 is lovely but no “uncool” needed excluding. Example 2 looks like you refuse to do a vertical crop on the subject and add the distracting bright reflections because you are enjoying panos at the moment. My best shots can’t match your worst, so I apologise for challenging the “Emperors new clothes”, I just have to be honest amongst all the praising comments.