When taking photos, it’s important to keep at least basic composition rules in mind since making adjustments later can get tricky. Fortunately, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel—Get inspired by tried-and-true composition rules. How can you apply these rules in practice, and what should you avoid when composing your shot?

Everyone who presses the shutter button on a camera or phone is composing an image. It doesn’t matter what’s in the photo, a landscape, your family, or a pet, the composition must be done correctly.

Image composition is a critical element that can elevate—or deflate—the value of your photographs. Thus it’s something that you should never underestimate.