Is composition something that can be taught, or if it is innate? Probably a bit of both. It is hard to look at photographs by Frans Lanting, Art Wolfe, Galen Rowell, and Dewitt Jones without coming to the conclusion that they were born with some kind of magic sense of composition. On the the other hand, it is clear that photographers can improve dramatically with the right kind of guidance.
If you are ready to develop your compositional skills, you only have to remember one name: Michael Freeman. His book, The Photographer’s Eye is far and away the best book on composition that I have been able to find. Or at least that was true until The Photographer’s Mind came out, also by Michael Freeman. Now The Photographer’s Vision is now in print and a worthy sequel to the other two books. This is as good as it gets! Read The Photographer’s Eye first.
You can buy these books here.