This Rookie Photography Mistake Is Costing You Business
5 Simple Composition Moves That Decide If You Stand Out — Or Disappear.
What if the way you frame a picture decides whether someone remembers you — or scrolls past you?
Sounds dramatic.
But it’s true.
Composition is the silent signal that tells people you’re intentional, polished, and worth paying attention to.
And if you want your network to grow, you can’t afford to ignore it.
Here are 5 moves that will instantly make your photos — and your presence — impossible to forget:
1. Rule of Thirds = Instant Authority
Most people center themselves because it feels natural. The problem? It looks like a passport photo.
The “rule of thirds” has been used in art and photography for centuries. By shifting yourself slightly off-center, you create energy and balance that instantly feels more professional.
Think about magazine covers or luxury brand campaigns — rarely are their subjects dead center. They use thirds because it looks elevated. When you do the same, people subconsciously place you in that same category.
Pro Tip: Turn on the grid lines in your phone’s camera settings — they’ll show you exactly where to stand.
2. Leading Lines = All Eyes on You
Lines in your environment — a road, a hallway, a staircase, even the direction someone else is facing — are powerful visual tools. They tell the viewer’s eye where to go.
Photographers lean on this constantly to control focus. At events, stand so that the railings or walls guide the eye toward you to make the photo feel designed, not accidental.
Pro Tip: Next time you’re at an event, take one step left or right until a line (like a wall or railing) points directly at you.
3. Negative Space = Power in Simplicity
Too much background detail competes with you.
Negative space (the empty or clean areas around your subject) gives you room to breathe visually. This is why high-profile athletes and influencers often shoot against minimalist backdrops — it forces the eye to land on them.
Scroll LinkedIn right now. Notice which posts stop your thumb. Nine out of ten times, it’s the clean, uncluttered shot that wins.
Pro Tip: Look for blank walls, sky, or neutral backgrounds when taking a photo. They instantly elevate your presence.
4. Depth = Real Presence
Flat photos feel like amateur snapshots. Add layers — foreground, midground, and background — and suddenly you have presence.
This could be as simple as standing behind a coffee cup in focus, or letting blurred lights in the background frame you. The human brain reads layered images as richer, more professional, more trustworthy.
That’s why commercial photographers use depth constantly: it transforms a “basic pic” into something cinematic.
Pro Tip: Hold your phone slightly closer to an object in the foreground (like a glass or plant) and focus on yourself in the midground. Instant depth.
5. Break a Rule (On Purpose)
Here’s the secret: once you know the rules, breaking them makes you stand out even more.
Symmetry by centering yourself. A tilted angle for drama. Cropping close so only part of your face is visible. When it’s intentional, it reads as creative — not careless.
People connect with that edge, because it signals confidence. You’re not just “taking pictures.” You’re owning the frame.
Pro Tip: Try one “wrong” shot at every event — centered, tilted, or cropped. The one that feels bold often gets the most engagement.
“The way you compose a photo is the way people will compose their impression of you.”
If you want your network to see you as credible, elevated, and memorable, you can’t leave your images to chance.
Think about what we just covered:
Use the rule of thirds to instantly look more polished.
Let leading lines guide attention straight to you.
Keep negative space so you don’t get lost in clutter.
Add depth for a richer, more professional feel.
Break the rules on purpose to show confidence and creativity.
Start by practicing just one of these at your next event or shoot. Then layer in the rest until your photos tell the story you want people to remember.
Because in networking, people don’t just remember faces — they remember the feeling your image gives them.