fig1

Now to make it perfectly clear what The Rule of Thirds states is this...The Subject shall dominate
2/3's (two thirds) of the whole frame being taken...that means whatever is the subject - it is
occupying the majority of the screen...but never in the exact middle...

You can check this yourself....look at any published photo and see the imaginary Tic Tac Toe Board
and you will instantly see the magic that makes up a great photo.  Okay moving on....

SO now we start to apply the RULE OF THIRDS....

The best way is to show you...in figure.2 you will see a bad composition of a photo that we want to take...

fig2

In figure.3 the sky is the subject and in figure.4 the water is the subject...making sense? 
Look at them again and see why figure.2 is the less pleasing to the eye...why? 
Because it is centered and there is no composition.

fig3

fig4

Now lets apply the same rule with people....notice in figure.5 - the two men are not in the center.
But together they are the subject and are displaced to the opposing side that they are facing.
Can you see that together, as the Subject, they take up 2/3 of the right side of the photo...?
This takes some practice because it is a matter of taste and creativity...

fig5

Action and Direction are just as important....in figure.6  the subject is dead center, not very exciting?!
Common sense tells you to follow the action....which is the better composition to you fig.6 or fig.7...?

fig6

fig7

So to keep it short and sweet...just remember to keep faces somewhere in the eye line and watch the
action and keep that imaginary Tic Tac Toe Grid in mind when looking at the World....and when in
doubt...when in doubt shoot your frame wider - so you can use these rules when you edit your photos
with the CROPPING TOOL!

That's right apply this Rule even after the photo is taken, you will begin to start taking photos that will
dazzle your friends and family and they will want you to take all the pictures all the time and then
eventually you will never be in any photos ever again - like me - so don't let that happen ...LOL!!!
Teach your kids to take better pictures too...it's EZ when you get the hang of this...!!!

The next thing I want to talk about is Auto-Focus...most point and shoot cameras, digital and 35mm
have a two step Shutter Button.  This is a great feature but most simply pick up the camera and push to
take a picture.  I want you to try this next time you are taking a picture of two or more people in the shot...

Ever notice that the background is totally in focus and the people are all washed out and out-of-focus? 
That's because the camera's auto-focus didn't see them...it only saw the background and set it's focus
on it.  To stop this simply set the frame on one person, dead center to set the auto-focus and hold the
Shutter Button in half way, usually an indicator tells you it is locked and as long as you don't remove
your finger the camera is set to that focal point...

Now set the frame using the Rule of Thirds and then once you have the frame the way you want it,
push the button the rest of the way and you will have a great photo.

I couldn't make an example because I made these examples on the fly just to show you how this works
but I'm sure you have seen the ones I'm talking about...?!

Next is the Fill Flash.  When talking pictures outdoors and the camera is set to Auto-Flash the meter
will almost always tell the camera that it doesn't need the Flash.  But set the Flash to always be on
when taking pictures of people in the shade...this way it acts like a Fill Flash and the camera will take
that into account when setting the exposure and your pictures will be properly lit and shadows will
be gone from face shots...

Another great thing to do is take photos of photos, like those hanging on the wall.
The thing to remember is never shoot straight on...always shoot from an angle to cut down on glare
and try to use day light whenever possible and never use the Flash.  Most Digital Cameras
have a - Non-Flash Mode - that do a fine job with available light.

The last thing I'd like to leave you with is that all digital cameras are pixel rated with the lens,
zoom set all the way in...to the Wide Angle Setting.

In other words the more tele-zoom you use the grainier the picture gets...is that a word...???  LOL!!! 
Anyway, when setting up your shot don't be afraid to move in and out to set the frame before
shooting.  The zoom is great for far away things but I'm talking about people pictures, the kids
and grandparents, get up close and personal...LOL!!!

Have funn with it.  Get down close to the ground when taking pictures of children, get on the floor
with them if you want to see them get excited and get those candid smiles that will keep you smiling
for a long time...

So I hope I didn't bore you too much and you found this some-what entertaining as well as helpful
and may all your photos be PICTURE PERFECT....


Have a Great Day,
Tony / EzCd-Solutions

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