Stuck in the Middle

The past few months and weeks have been a part of competition season for me.  So when the topic came up for this week's blog--center--I immediately heard a juror's voice saying "this image has everything going for it, but it's centered."  That was a negative comment, not a positive one.

The Concept of Using Space

Space is not only THE FINAL FRONTIER, but also something photographer's use as part of their story telling.  There is a RULE OF SPACE as it relates to the subject in the photograph and it says:

• the direction the subject of the photograph is moving in, or even just looking in, dictates where the subject in the photograph should be placed.

The Rule of Thirds is somewhat tied to this, because if you allow more space in the direction the subject is moving or looking, and less space behind the subject, you are most likely going to be placing that subject about a third of the way in the photograph.

Let's examine.

The photo below is a completely centered image of our dog Billie.  She is sitting on a picnic table at the park on an overcast day in the Fall.  There is nothing really interesting behind her, in fact, there are many distractions in the environment.

This is an instance where I believe CENTERING the image is helpful to focus on the subject (Billie) and not on what is happening around her.

A very different image of our dog, Talley, is below.  Talley is looking to her left (our right), so you can see I've left space in the direction she is looking (as if she might move there), and only a little bit of space to her right (our left) where she has planted herself.

This is why you will often see photographs with the subject off-center. We are attempting to create "an illusion of movement."  If Talley were to pick up and go, we've left her space to do it.

There are opportunities where a center-placed image can work and make the image balanced, strong and steady.  But many in the industry today feel that center placement is boring, unmoving and static.  They gravitate toward the Rule of Thirds. 

Below is one more example of a portrait where more space is given to where Lilah's gaze is moving than to the area behind her.

I just took a class with a top notch landscape photographer, Joe Brady.  He has developed his own "rule of thirds" in his photography work, and captures stunning images as he travels both nationally and internationally for teaching and training.

It was interesting that he advocates for CROPPING OUT anything that doesn't have to do with the main subject, and to use a visualization process while photographing that will help you design that final crop in camera, while taking the photo.

I am looking to incorporate more landscape work into my animal and pet photography, and his class was amazingly helpful as a start to working my way toward that goal.

Click Into the Circle

I am part of a weekly blogging group of professional pet photographers located all over the planet.  To see what others have blogged about in this week's topic (center), start here with MA and NH dog photographer Darlene Woodward as she shares her new swoon-worthy artisan framed portraits, perfect for making your dog the center of attention.

Then find the link at the end of each blog to click on to the next photographer, until ou find yourself back here. 

Enjoy!  Have a great weekend!  Spring has finally sprung!