We all dislike rules, but the rule of thirds is one worth learning. Lots of images look better when following this rule. Imagine the image you're composing split into three segments horizontally, and three vertically. The grid image below illustrates the point; the horizon line is roughly a third of the way up the frame. The sky fills the other two thirds. The lighthouse is also a third of the way in (roughly) from the edge of the frame. I deliberately place my subjects where the lines intersect if I can. Roll your mouse over the image to lose the grid: -
^ Roll your mouse over the image to lose the grid
Most beginners in photography place their subjects in the center of the frame. This is fine if you're filling the frame with a face or a flower, but can look boring if the subject is further away. Here's the same image cropped with the lighthouse in the centre - get ready to yawn: -
Placing the horizon line half way up the frame is generally not good - it makes for a dull image. Don't ask me why, it just is, right! Of course there are exceptions, like if the foreground and the sky are both equally interesting, so once you've learned the rule of thirds, try to break it - the image below doesn't conform to the rule, but it still works because the sky and the foreground are equally compelling: -
If the sky wasn't so good, I'd have pointed the camera down and stuck to the rule of thirds. If the foreground wasn't so interesting, I'd have pointed the camera up and stuck to the rule of thirds
