Some people have an instinct for photo composition - they just know when something works. If that isn't you, don't despair - it can also be learnt - I did it myself !

When we look at a view, person or object it's always in the middle of what we see. Try looking at a cup of coffee on the table and as you do it be aware of how much else you can see. The walls of the room, the chairs round the table and more, but your brain is filtering it out.

When composing a photo you must remember your camera can't do that for you. You have to arrange the photo so everything looks like it's in the right place.

There are a whole bunch of photo composition rules we'll go into in photo composition 2 that the great and the good have come up with over the years - and that's where you should start.

Take your time with composition, look around the edges of the viewfinder to see if there's any gaps and spaces you don't need, is the horizon straight? These are all things to check before pressing the shutter.

• I Mess Up Salsibury Catherdral Photo Shoot - EP31
• Photographing A Landscape Landmark PT2 - EP30
• Photographing A Landscape Landmark PT1 - EP29
• Exposure Bracketing Explained - EP28
• Woodland Photography with Gary Gough - EP27