Positioning your subject
When we all first started off with photography, we saw it as a straightforward process. Position your subject in the middle, keep everything in focus, and take a snap of the shot. Although this does the job, the image often comes out looking flat. Knowing when to put your subject in the centre and when to position it off-centre is an easy trick that can elevate your photography.
The rule of thirds is one of the most cited, but also most used trick in the book. Divide your image into nine equal parts and pay attention to the intersecting points. Then, place your subject on these points to create a sense of balance in the images. In a composition with heavy patterns or a cluttered background, you can still direct the viewer’s eyes to the main human subject by framing the image such that they are positioned at the bottom third of the picture. Furthermore, during action shots, leaving space for the subject to move helps to tell a story.
Centre-framing can easily tread the line between a flat image or a professional image. The eye is immediately drawn to the middle of the frame, and the viewer is led to ignore the rest of the composition. But placing your subjects in the centre could work for zoom bursts or strong shapes and centring a lined or geometric pattern can strike a satisfying visual balance.