joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

lev29 Loc: Born and living in MA.

Thanks for posting.

Bultaco Loc: Aiken, SC

Thanks for posting, interesting.

timcc Loc: Virginia

Good food for thought -- putting "rules" into perspective. Thanks for the link.

PGHphoto Loc: Pittsburgh, PA

I always find it interesting that people don't understand the rule of thirds and its purpose. It has nothing to do with style or 'proper' composition. The rule of thirds was developed as a way to keep the viewer's eye moving through the photo. Our 'normal' way of looking at something is to put it in the center of our field of vision - so we tend to focus on just that part of a photograph when the subject is centered. Using a rule of thirds creates a tension that forces our view to be pulled away from the center of the photo and towards the subject - similar to the result when using leading lines. The photo becomes more compelling because we are 'encouraged' to view the entire picture.

I also find it interesting that there are people who insist of the rule of thirds for active moving subjects in video. Because our eyes are naturally drawn to movement, positioning the subject off-center doesn't really add to the interest or direct our view to the subject.

Tracy B. Loc: Indiana

Thanks for posting the article. I found it very interesting. The part about Hyperfocal distance, I already know and use. I tried to post this theory once on this forum, and a few people went crazy!

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

When shooting for myself there is only one compositional rule that I follow...it has to look good to me.

shieldsadvert

Excellent article, thanks.