Beginner Things that you learn everyday about photography - even if you are a pro tog

[WelshNoob]

Was editing some photos before and passing them through the quality control department (the other half). She liked them in the main but was perturbed by the cropping in some. I tried to explain the rules of 2 thirds, showed her sample images on the internet etc, to which she said "It's just a waste of space!"

So the authority has spoken and one for all you pro toggers out there.

 

[Alastair]

The "rule of thirds" is like any "rule" in photography - for the guidance of wise men and the obedience of fools. If you compose/crop to a rule and not to the image, you care more about the rule than the result.. ..

Here's an alternative take on the rule of thirds, it ditches one rule for another but there are some interesting discussions along the way - www.ipoxstudios.com/canon-of-design/ - look at the discussions of the Annie Leibovitz images in particular. The author gets so up-tight about whether images conform to specific rules (particularly regarding cropping limbs on the Leibovitz images) that he fails to realise that the images work because of these deviations from the "rules" he discusses.

 

[WelshNoob]

I wasn't trying to tell her it was hard and fast but the images looked silly as she would have liked them. I don't use it for all my shots.

 

[Alastair]

I wasn't trying to tell her it was hard and fast but the images looked silly as she would have liked them. I don't use it for all my shots.

How about posting a comparison? - your crop vs. the way she prefers it

 

[Leslie]

One of my favourite sayings is 'tools, not rules'

There to be used as a guide, but nothing more.