Centered with tension, energy, and interest.
First of all, let me define what the Rule of Thirds means for those that have been lucky enough to have never heard of it:
The rule states that an image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines, and that important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections.
Proponents of the technique claim that aligning a subject with these points creates more tension, energy and interest in the composition than simply centering the subject would.
Ok, here’s my two-cents worth: TENSION, I don’t think so…ENERGY, no way…INTEREST…not for those that get bored easily. Better than centering the subject? Boy would I like to meet the person that wrote this, he needs to have his mind stretched, and I’m just the one to do it.
At least once during my four week online classes with the BPSOP, and also in my “Stretching Your Friend of Mind” workshops I have the same discussions with one or more of my fellow photographers. They almost always say the exact same thing…”I was told to always follow the Rule of Thirds”.
In my opinion, this is the silliest rule out there. The last thing I want to do is to be standing there somewhere, anywhere with just a couple of seconds left of incredible light, and worry about what intersection to put my subject in. I’m going to save that idea for those people that aspire to be a ‘good photographer’…why? Because good photographer’s follow the rules; those rules that take you down a one way path to mediocrity; purgatory for those that would rather color inside the lines.
Now, if you would rather be a ‘great photographer’, I strongly suggest you break every rule you can. Ansel Adams once said, “There are no rules for good pictures, there’s just good pictures”. To me, rules are a hindrance that gets in the way of creativity thinking. Rules, and especially the Rule of Thirds should be avoided at all costs. I suppose learning the rules might be important, but so is finshing all your vegetables.
Here’s a few examples of not following the Rule of Thirds:
So the next time you out and about taking pictures, do yourself a big favor and decide for yourself what makes a photo have tension, energy, and interest.
Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and check out my 2018 workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime, and we’ll break some rules. In conjunction with The Santa Fe Workshops, on October 2nd I’ll be leading a group in San Miguel de Allende. A beautiful oasis and artist colony, and the entire city is a UNESCO site.
JoeB
