Tuesday Tips & Pics - Composition Rules and How to Break Them

Today I want to talk to a little about composition.  Most of us are familiar with the "rule of thirds," which basically states that an image is more aesthetically appealing when the subject is placed in the left third or right third or upper or lower third of the image.  For example, in this picture of Patrick below, his body is in the left third of the frame, and his face is in the upper left third.



But when I shot this last maternity session for my friends Alyssa and John I pushed myself to follow the rule in a more creative way.  Instead of simply placing my subjects to the side of the frame I worked to incorporate the surrounding architecture and landscaping to push myself out my comfort zone to create more interesting compositions.

Also, sometimes knowing the rules means knowing when its ok to break them for creative reasons. This next image breaks the rule of thirds by placing the subjects in the center of the frame, but I think the unique composition and using the stairway to frame them makes the image interesting. It's important to know the rules and also to break them with creative intent!

Link up what you've been shooting below!