Rule of Thirds & Macro Photogrpahy

[A Team]

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ladesign/2248058932/" title="Beach Condo by A Team1, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2185/2248058932_ee2a4cc8c2.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="Beach Condo" /></a>

Camera: Nikon D80
Exposure: 0.017 sec (1/60)
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 90 mm
ISO Speed: 100


I'm wondering if I followed the rules of thirds in this shot or not? Is the rule of thirds applied the same way in macro photography?

[jiminyClickit]

A Team,

Unless you're a maverick who just loves going against the grain or the current, the compositional maxims work in all images, beyond photography, sand painting, anything, whatever medium one applies to whatever stratum.

The part that doesn't seem to get much mention is that with some subjects, you have to decide what part is most important, what area do you choose to place in the thirds intersection, on a thirds line, to most effectively draw attention?

Your shell's tightest spiral point is in focus, relates to a third intersection, has a nice uncrowded position within the frame, some b/g interest without being a distraction, and generally is well lit.

If you were to retake the shot, I'd try to soften the left side light so the obvious bright spots are less noticeable, more like bright sky, not flash.

For a few compositions, a few subjects, flipping the point of interest to the left changes the amount of time a viewer spends within the frame. My attention here keeps wanting to follow the direction your shell points, out of frame. When it's on the left, I enter the photo and consistently return to the left, noticing the unfocussed opening, but returning to the point. Experiment, see if that works for you, too.

[A Team]

Thanks for your comments Jiminy. I appreciate your comments and taking the time to look at my photo.

Linda

[wulf]

As Jiminy says, the "rules" don't care how big or small the subject is. With this shot I think I would have cropped it down left and right and then borne thirds in mind by putting the point of the spiral (or thereabouts) on the the lower horizontal third line (see attached sketch).

Thirds are only a useful scaffold on which to compose your picture, not immutable anchor points.

BTW, was this shot taken handheld? It appears rather soft even in the areas that should be in focus. Some sharpening might help although it is always worth trying to get a crisp photo in the first instance.

Wulf

[A Team]

Thanks Wulf. The grid really helps.

So looking at your grid, I noticed that you did not place the point of the shell on the intersecting lines. Is that because your focus would be to the left of the point?

[wulf]

It was mainly an "eye judgement" rather than a "rule judgement". With the point on the lower right intersection there is a lot of space to the right of the shell, which calls for a lot of space to the left of the shell to balance it. The end result is a smaller shell with a lot of space around it which (to me) seems to rather circumvent the point of macro photography being to get you amazing close.

To some extent, you can see that the image still fits in the thirds grid. I have added a diagonal line that makes a connection between the two, although not via the traditional four central points of interest. The idea of putting the point of sharpest focus on the lower right intersection is a great one - if you could retake the shot with the rough framing I suggested and get that point really crisp I think it would be even better (although you would have to ensure sufficient depth of field so that the point of the shell also remains sharp).

Wulf

[A Team]

Thanks again for your comments. I will definately reshoot and see what I can get.

Linda