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Showing posts from May, 2011

Rule of Thirds

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This is a series of free tips to help you become a better photographer.This week we will talk about the "Rule of Thirds." Imagine the frame divided into vertical and horizontal thirds like a tic-tac-toe game. The sweet spots are along the lines and where the lines cross.When in doubt, try to put the most important part of the scene in these areas because that is the place our eyes naturallyfall first. If you are making a portrait, it is a good idea to put the subjects eyes fall near the upper third line. See the cover of my book at the right.See the example below of our worship leader, Daniel Brymer. This is not a hard and fast rule, but it is certainly a good place to start for an interesting composition.

Avoiding the "Bullseye"

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I am starting a series of free tips to help you become a better photographer. The first one concerns composition. Composition is nothing more than where you put the important parts of the picture in the frame. This implies that you know what is important and what isn't important to the picture, and place the subject accordingly. It also means that you are looking at the whole scene when you line up the shot.Putting the subject in the exact middle of the picture is what we call the "Bullseye syndrome." Ninety-five percent of the time this is exactly the wrong place for the main subject. The main subject should be placed to one side a little or closer to the top or bottom, except in unusual situations.In the two photos below, the one on the right is more interesting because the person's head is off center and leaning toward the edge of the picture.The one on the left is static by comparison because the person's head and eyes are centered like a bullseye. I intend to