A quick look at breaking the rules.

Anyone who has taken my classes, knows that I’m not a big fan of center-focusing subjects.

It’s usually just not a great image. Our eyes aren’t very interested in viewing an image that is center-focused and so this type of an image isn’t viewed for long, in most cases.

I’m a firm believer in compositions that adhere to the rule of thirds. The images that follow these simple compositional rules generally make for interesting images that viewers will look at.

I call them rule breakers.

Symmetry sometimes does make for very interesting images.

For example, this shot of the Eiffel Tower photographed through a art project entitled, “Peace,” that was on display at the far end of the lawn opposite the Seine.

Here’s a couple of things to keep in mind when making a center focused/center weighted image.

Though the main subject is dead center, the horizon is still in a traditional 1/3rd land 2/3rds sky composition. That helps to build an image that still has interest for the viewer, while being non-traditional in some ways.

The next time you go out to photograph a subject, try to add a few center weighted images into the mix. But, remember to continue to keep some traditional elements in the photograph.

Be inspired!

I was photographing a couple at one of my favorite spots, Huntington Beach at sunset. I had to post a couple of the sunsets, just to let all my friends on the east coast see how our weather is. Landscape composition varies depending on what part of the ’scape you want to emphasize.

Our first frame shows a classic 1/3rd land and a 2/3rds sky of a beautiful sunset.

Our other images show a version where we have about 4/5ths sky and 1/5th water, while we also have a 2/3rds water and a 1/3rd sky.

My last frame is actually a bit of a rulebreaker. Why? I’ve placed the surfer walking in the lower right area of convergence, but he is walking out of the frame. Normally, you want to leave space for our subject to walk or run or even look into. Why? Because it helps our viewers eyes to remain engaged and not stop viewing our image. It also emphasizes the ocean over the sky.

Lastly, we can’t forget our friends on the east coast who encountered one of the largest snow storms to hit in a number of years.  Looks like a white Christmas for them and we will just have to suffer through another wonderful sunset. BTW, that’s Catalina Island in the background.