Rule of thumb: Central composition

Saturday 27 June 2020, 14:41 by Michelle Peeters | 8,390 views | 0 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

In all the composition rules of thumb discussed so far (the Golden Ratio, the Diagonal Method and the Rule of Thirds), one place never falls on a line: the centre of the photo. The only exception is the diagonal method when you apply it to a square photo. But does that make the centre of the photo a forbidden place?

With such a beautiful sky and reflection, you can ignore the rule of thirds and place the horizon nicely in the centre
A central position is often static or boring because of the lack of tension. But a central composition is not necessarily wrong. Think of a macro shot of a spider, with its eight legs forming imaginary lines towards a centre.

A central composition works very well for this kind of photo. It also works when a subject fills the frame.

When a subject fills the frame, it can also be placed perfectly well in the centre of the image
A special form of central composition is symmetry. Think of a perfect reflection, where the original and reflection are almost identical. A photo like this gains strength when you make clever use of a central composition.

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