River beds can be littered with rocks. When we are lucky or plan correctly we find moss on them to add color and interest. Rocks can be a wonderful tool to lead the viewer into the image. Remember the viewer will follow anything that is different or that stands out. If there is a river bed filled with sand that has on rock on it the viewer's eyes will go straight for the rock. By placing the rock strategically in the image we can achieve a strong composition. With most forest streams however, we do not find sand filled river beds, we typically find rock laden river beds. How do we capture the viewer's attention now and how can we use the rock to lead the viewer into the image?

          The trick is to find rocks that stand out, that are different. Walk around and find a rock or a few rocks that are larger than the other rocks. Perhaps a few have moss on them while the others do not. Look for patterns in the rocks that lead somewhere or that we can use to frame the image. Forget the river for a moment, forget the trees; focus on finding something different in the rocks (of course we will also look for something different in the river such as rapids, turns, and so forth and we can also look for logs; anything that stands out). Once we found something that is different we can work on composing the image:

In this image I saw the larger rocks which stand out from the smaller rocks and I saw a pattern as they form a line leading into the image. So I went with it in an attempt to draw the viewer into the picture. You will remember that I always advocate looking for different compositions from the same location. A few weeks ago I wrote in a previous blog that we should use our feet to move here and there to change the composition. Looking at this image above; what do you see in this image that you can walk to, to create a different composition. Here is what I saw:

The rocks on the left was used to frame the image but they also form a little arch that curve into the image slightly. These are subtle things but they add to the composition.

          Use those river rocks compositionally. Study them. Look for what is different, what stands out, where you see patterns. When you find such, work with them to compose your image.