Very simply, what it means as a composition technique to us as photographers, is: compose your image so that visual clues lead along the curve of the golden spiral, directing your viewer’s eye, towards your focal point where the spiral ends.Ī name synonymous with exceptional photography composition is Henri Cartier-Bresson. In his book, Decisive Moment, he said: So let’s look at what golden ratio photography composition is and what it means to us photographers. However, these articles don’t address how the golden ratio relates specifically to photography composition, which I do know about. Cross section of a Nautilus shell (see below).Here are a few of the standard examples given: Other than to say the golden spiral is also called the Fibonacci Spiral, or Fibonacci Sequence and a lot has been written on this shape in nature. So, I won’t go into the mathematical detail (I’m not a mathematician) or discuss Fibonacci. Not just by photographers, but by scientists and mathematicians way more qualified than me. There are so many articles written on the golden ratio. In simple terms, it shows how a rectangle image is divided up into squares and, by drawing an arc from the corner of the large square to the opposite corner, and then ever onwards to the next smallest square, you end up with the golden spiral. So, here’s a diagram of the golden ratio. If you’re anything like me, that sentence meant less than zero to you. It has several other names, depending on how it’s used, including:Īccording to Wikipedia, “In mathematics, two quantities are in the golden ratio if their ratio is the same as the ratio of their sum to the larger of the two quantities.” As a photography composition technique, there’s more to it than just cropping. The other really important aspect of it is that you can’t just apply it in post production to any photo by cropping the image to fit the golden ratio rule. You either use the golden ratio in photography, or you don’t. And this is why you can’t sort of use it.

What I do know is that it’s a very exact ratio. I don’t even fully get the math behind it. I’m not going to claim to be an expert on the golden ratio. It seems that in this quick-fix world use of the golden ratio as an advanced composition technique has been smudged.

If you’ve heard of the golden ratio for photography composition, there’s a very good chance that you’ve received wrong advice.

Golden spiral in photography