When I first started photography I used to make the same mistake that most people do when they first start out: Put the subject in the center, and don't cut the top of the head off. We all know how that works out. I then learned about the rule of thirds and my compositions improved -- somewhat. As time went on, I found myself wanting to bring the subject a little closer to center. It just seemed more natural to me and better balanced. I then learned about the "golden ratio" or as some call it, the "golden mean". I found that I became much more comfortable with that than with the rule of thirds, and have started using it extensively. Like most rules, the golden ratio doesn't apply in all cases, but when in doubt about a composition, that is where I go. Because of my love of B&W, I recently purchased Tonality Pro. In their crop function, they have two grid layouts available. One is the rule of thirds, the other is the golden ratio. I took some of my older shots composed them with the rule of thirds, and then recomposed them with the golden ratio. I could not believe the difference. Here is an example of one of my favorite subjects, my grandson, Cody. None of the shots are all that good, but you can see the difference it makes.