Exploring Our Children’s Potentials

Sometime ago I shared my very first Photography Tips, which was on trying out different camera angles.

And today I’d like to share another one. It’s about positioning our main subject in the frame.

When taking photos, quite a lot of people automatically place the subject in the middle of the picture (see sample photo of Vai above).

But the interesting thing is, when the subject is NOT placed directly in the centre of the frame, the photo can actually be more interesting and dramatic.

Rule of thirds:

I remember hearing the term ‘Rule of thirds‘ for the first time from my husband some eight years ago.

And this was what I learned at the time:

–  Imagine two horizontal lines and two vertical lines dividing the photo into thirds (see image above)

– If your object of interest (eg. a building that stands higher above the rest, or a child’s face in close up shots) is placed on one of the points where the lines intersect, your photo will most likely turn out looking more interesting (read: better and less boring).

Here’re two photos to compare:

[Top photo] Vai is placed right in the middle of the frame

[Above photo] Anya is positioned slightly to the side, ie. off-centre

Verdict : The positioning of the subject makes Vai’s picture looks more plain and less interesting.

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And here are a few more samples from my photography archive:

– When Anya kissed Vai on the cheek : click HERE to view

– Anya having fun with her water pistol and balloon at Vivo City: click HERE to view

– How Vai might look like if he’s grumpy : click HERE to view

– When Vai happily ‘roared’ to the camera : click HERE to view

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Please take note though that when you’re placing your main subject off-centre, you may need to ‘lock your focus‘ first (because otherwise your main subject will be totally out of focus, ie. blurred)

In most cases, you may need to focus on the main subject first, press the shutter button half way down (and keep it that way!), move the camera and position the main subject accordingly, and press the shutter button all the way down.

Now. This is just one of the basic principles that I’ve come across. Perhaps you’ve even applied the principle unconsciously when you take photos.

Anyway, the next time you take photos, why not try positioning the main subject at different places in the frame to see the effects you create. Does your photo tell the story better when the main subject is placed at a certain place in the frame? It’d be interesting to check them out yourself.

Happy experimenting!

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Here’s something which I thought will be fun for the post.

See which of the five shots below that you prefer / tells the story best. Any reason?