There are few elements to an image that bears more influence on how good it is than composition. That isn't to say that you must follow the rules constantly, but knowing some of the basic rules is essential.
In the U.K, restrictions are being lifted which has resulted in something a little unusual: many of the weddings that were scheduled in the last 18 months or so, are all happening in a short period of time. When I am a guest at these events, usually of my friends, I'm inevitably asked to take pictures with people's phones because "you're a photographer." I always take the shot, but I had also thought that my being a photographer plays basically no role in the final snapshot in these circumstances. After all, I am just taking somebody's phone off them, which is already open on the camera app, and prodding the big red button.
Then, at a wedding of a close friend a few days ago, when asked to take a snap of a few of my friends (which was asked of me again because I'm "a photographer") I joked that it really makes zero difference. A few of them protested that it does, and that even with a mobile phone, I take better shots. I realized that they might be right, and it's for a few reasons. One of the primary reasons, however, is I think about composition even in snapshots. I make sure it's a balanced image, there aren't distracting elements, the subjects aren't all different exposures or poses, and so on. I don't do much, but what little I do, does help improve the image and that's largely down to just quick considerations of composition.
In this video, Nigel Danson goes through some of the compositional considerations he makes when out taking landscapes and that when you're next with a camera in your hand, you might wish to consider too.
