Use the Rule of Thirds or Center?

[cjknight06]

This comes from my first true macro shoot using the "super-macro" setup described in one of the articles from DPS. I reversed my 18-50 on the end of my 55-200. I like how this azelia stigma came out looking all sticky and shiny, but I felt like the black in the corner was a bit distracting. I tried cropping it, but I still liked having the stigma in the center. So I'm turning to you- Should the stigma be in the center like you see here, or should it be in the corner like I have it below?

[jiminyClickit]

cjknight06, Welcome

If you want to add your second photo here, two are allowed, and comparison is easier.

Maybe a third, less tightly-cropped choice would give you both a good composition, and remove the centeredness and the dark area. Say midway between the stigma and the top, and stigma and the left side.

[cjknight06]

Thanks for the advice! I changed the OP to include both versions for a better side-by-side. Here's a new crop. Does this look better?

[dseymour]

Is it okay if I give it a shot and crop it, and repost it? I could also remove the black in the corner if you like it in middle.

[jiminyClickit]

cjknight06 ,

That's a good compromise - centered rarely works for a shot like this, and some extra space along the sides keeps the subject from looking crowded. The diagonal remains strong. Are you still seeing centered as better?

[cjknight06]

I like this a bit better. This was really just a test shot to try messing with which rule to apply and when. Fell free to mess with the shot as much as you want, I think you can get it from my flickr page, right? I'm still trying to learn this stuff, and messing around is the best way I can find to do it! I like this latest version, and I like the diagonal element. When I had it in the center, i never even considered the diagonal element, but it is emphasized really well in the off-center version. I realize the pink bokeh in the centered image is uniform enough that I could just cover it up with a clone, but I'm really liking the off-center version.