CharleneT Loc: South Carolina

I was trying to work more on my composition and rule of thirds. Still struggling with them. But I think I may be getting the hang of it some! Comments welcome!

Waterfall


Reflections

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

Personally, I think "rule of thirds" should really be called, "suggestion of thirds". If you try too hard to fulfill it in every photo, you end up compromising many of your compositions - in some cases, other approaches to composition work just as well if not better. Just follow your intuition with what works and doesn't work.

These images aren't bad, but I feel you could have made them more interesting by exploring and discovering a different vantage point to more effectively bring out that which you want to express with these subjects.

bdk Loc: Sanibel Fl.

All photographers should learn and understand the rule of thirds. WHY? so as an artist , you can disregard them.

CharleneT Loc: South Carolina

Okay. I use the grid lines on my camera. I guess I still get confused where to place the center. Can someone explain using one of the above photos please?

mikeg1218 Loc: Port Charlotte Fl.

For what's worth from someone who is just getting back into photography after many moons away from it..

Forget about centering. What I see in picture two is a tree and some water all squared away, well centered and rather boring. What feature in that scene were you trying to bring out?

Picture one has many possibilities but I suspect you were concentrating far to much on your grid and centering the waterfall. You want to make your subject stand out not get lost in all the stuff around it

What you want to do is make your scene draw, flow if you will, the eye to the feature you are shooting In this case possibly moving aroud and framing the picture so the fall is somewhere in the upper right, and the water flowing away from it.

In todays photos a picture of Mt Mkinley is posted and is very well composed. The main subject is more or less in the upper left of the shot with lesser peaks, sky and clouds, and fore ground flowing off to the right drawing the eye to the peak and empathizing it's majesty far more then sticking it in the middle of the frame.

Suggestion, go back too your water fall and take thirty or forty pictures of it from ever possible angle, laying down, kneeling, standing, etc. Get it so the falls is your Mt. McKinley and stands out.

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

Analysis and recommendations are spot on! :thumbup:

mikeg1218 Loc: Port Charlotte Fl.

One more thought, don't be afraid of getting up close and personal or zoom in on your subject if that is what you have to do to get the picture you want.