The placement or arrangement of visual elements within an artwork is known as composition. This is the most basic principle of art and the only one that is common to all five of the Arts. Music is traditionally composed with notation prior to performance, an author composes his or her thoughts with words, and in Dance it is known as Choreography. In the Visual Arts composition often takes shape as the artist develops their inspiration. Photographers and Cinematographers must begin with this principal. Several decisions must be made as they prepare their frame to accept the inspiration of their image. First is the choice of lens followed by camera angle and then combined together with the framing of the subject known as balance. There are post production composition choices to be made as well such as cropping. Finally there are other types of composition to be considered such as color composition.This principal taken as a whole is the strength of the photographic arts and provides each artist with endless variations on how to express their personal point of view.

Camera Angle

The camera angle marks the specific location at which a camera is placed to take a shot. In filmmaking a scene may be shot from several camera angles simultaneously. This will give a different experience and sometimes emotion. In still photography each different camera angle will have a different effect on the viewer and how they perceive the scene that is shot. There are a few common routes that a camera operator could take to achieve this effect. Where the camera is placed in relation to the subject can affect the the overall impact or symbolic meaning of the finished image. There are a number of camera angles, such as a high-angle shot, a low-angle shot, a bird's-eye view and a worm's-eye view, the eye-level camera angle and the point of view shot. A Viewpoint is the apparent distance and angle from which the camera views and records the subject.

   Hi Angle

This type of shot is known as a Hi angle shot. It has the affect of lessening the importance of the subject. By positioning the climber with the mountain range behind him the photographer has implied that he is small compared to the immenseness of his environment. Conversely, the climber is filling much of the frame making him a compelling subject and the clear subject of the image

   Low Angle

In this composition the photographer has chosen a low angle shot. By shooting the climber from below we perceive him as an heroic figure, yet the composition makes him small compared to the amount of the frame that the rocky peak occupies. This adds to the impression that the subject of the image is the mountain, with the climber becoming secondary in importance

Focal Length

When choosing a lens the following should be considered; longer focal length (lower optical power) leads to higher magnification and a narrower angle of view; conversely, shorter focal length or higher optical power is associated with a wider angle of view.

With an 18mm wide angle lens an image with a broad peripheral range and a deep sense of depth is achieved. The focal range is much greater making sharp focus easier.

With a 50mm lens an image with a medium peripheral range and sense of depth is achieved. This focal length is considered to approximate how we see with the naked eye

By using a telephoto lens, such as a 200mm lens, a sense of bringing the far near is achieved. In addition the sense of depth is reduced to the point of the various objects having the appearance of being flattened.