Female's view: Composition is what makes an image 'pretty'. And by that I don't mean puppys to sigh at of flowers to hang on the wall.

Composition is (even a squashed toad) what holds the viewers attention, it's what makes the view walking past a gallery window stop and look thru and is you've really got the composition right they'll walk into the gallery to see if there are any more of the artists works to view.

Composition is what makes the viewer look harder, it's what makes the viewer look for more in your image/picture/painting, it's what maks the viewer think 'what's going on here'.

Composition for me (when I'm tking a photo) is 'boy this is interesting/beauitful/well light/unique/tells a story' and then I start thinking how can I capture this on film to look back and get this exact same feeling or how can I  capture this to show someone and make them feel exactly how I feel at the moment of first seeing the subject.

Yes 3rd, diagonals, levels, framing and all the rules apply as without those you would just be making a memory shot. One that the viewer walking past the gallery notices but doesn't stop to view.

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