There are a whole bunch of photo composition rules that the great and the good have come up with over the years - and they really work as a place to begin shooting photos you can be proud of.

I really struggled with composing photos when I got into photography. I'd go somewhere and take a photo of something I'd seen in a magazine and it'd be nothing like the original. I was so disheartened I nearly gave up.

One day I found some amazing, beautifully composed photos on a rubbish tip. I took them home and studied them, trying to see what it was that made them exciting.

Gradually I noticed a pattern of compositions. Some had foreground, some had something leading from one corner to another and so on so I arranged them into piles according to composition type..

Some years later I found out there are indeed rules of composition. there's the rule of thirds, diagonals, foreground and leading lines - all of which can help you shoot amazing strong compositions - I explain them all and more in my Masterclass in Photography.

• 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