Composition - Decisions to make before you start painting

Composing a frame 

One of the WOW factor is how the artist has composed the art, whether it is a painting, movie scene or a photograph.
Positioning the main subject in the centre of the canvass is common, but it is so boring like a passport photo.

So, before starting to sketch, while the artist is looking at the reference, he is doing some mental cropping. He is making quick decisions on which elements to highlight, which ones to sacrifice so that the main subject is the protagonist. The artist is also trying to make the composition aesthetic.

Reference shot in my mobile

For instance, this was the reference I shot for painting "The Narcissist". If I had drawn the same. the viewer would have seen the scooter as the main subject since the bird is insignificant. 

But the whole drama was in the bird looking at the mirror! So, I zoomed in; but not too much.

There were those interesting reflections on the polished surface of the helmet. Also, the angle of the handlebar was dynamic and taking the eye towards the main subject - The Narcissist