The Rule of Thirds is great, but not all the time...

Absolutely, the Rule of Thirds is a great compositional option; however, it is one of many options that we need to consider prior to taking the shot. 

Many years ago, toward the beginning of my photography journey, the Rule of Thirds was the first and only composition consideration that I knew. It was easy to understand and produced pretty good results . 

However, my problem was that I used it for almost all my photos, resulting in a mix of some great shots and some other awkward, confusing, unpleasing photos.  

My issue was; The Rule of Thirds is great but not for every single shot.

Let's take a deeper look at the Rule of Thirds, to get a deeper understanding of when it will work and when it should be avoided.

Understanding the Rule of Thirds  

The Rule of Thirds composition is believed to originate from the early portrait photographers and the portrait artists before them.

When composing a portrait, if the model is straight in front and looking straight down the lens the photographer/painter would usually place them in the center of the frame to create a sense of balance and symmetry.

However, if the model is off-center and looking away from the camera they would be placed on the "Rule of Thirds" line looking into the larger open space.

Interestingly, this is also the same in landscape photography. If your subject is straight in front and looking straight down the camera the best option is often a balanced central composition (see example below), and if your subject seems to be looking one way or the other you could then place the subject on the "Rule of Thirds" line with them looking into the larger open space.

In the first example below, we have a straight-on subject; therefore, a central, balanced, symmetrical composition is likely to look best.

Below you can see the straight-on angle looks awkward and unbalanced when placed within a Rule of Thirds Composition.

In the final example below, you can see that if we shoot the car from the side so that it's looking (so to speak) across the camera, once again the Rule of Thirds works best.

Don't limit your photography by limiting your composition options.

"Don't be the photographer that spends thousands of dollars getting to a spectacular location only to come away with disappointing photos. I once was that photographer and it was soul-crushing."