Review: "Creating Effective Compositions" by Dane Howard

I watched a 10-minute clip on lynda.com by Dane Howard on "Creating Effective Compositions." He explains that the elements we need to pay attention to for photographic compositions are 1) lines and direction, 2) motion and direction, 3) depth of field, 4) focal point, and 5) value. The important idea that I walked away with was the concept of a "first read" and "second read," which pertain to what the eye gravitates toward in a photograph. He states that we, as photographers, have control on how we effect the read. To understand the process, he recommends blurring one's eyes and then seeing what sticks out in the photograph. For example, in the first read, we may focus on human eyes or the brightest part of a photo. I also liked how he discusses the use of triangles (leading lines, forced perspective) to emphasize something in the first read.