Thursday, April 19, 2012

Friday My Town Shoot Out

Today I am linking with Friday My Town Shoot Out! We are sharing pictures that emphasize The Rule of Thirds. I have taken my best shot (LOL - amazing pun - right?) at this. I am not a professional photographer (shocking - I know). So, here goes...
My first shot is of some silted-over stairs-to-nowhere that have long fascinated me. Vertically, the edges of the stairs are at about the 1/3 and 2/3's marks in the foreground. But, of course, they are closer than that in the background because of perspective. Horizontally, I tried to make it 2/3s ground and 1/3 sky.
I read up on The Rule of Thirds, and it is all about horizontal and vertical lines. But, being the wild and crazy rule breaker that I am, I decided to use these OTHER stone stairs (a lot of stairs today) to break the photo into diagonal thirds.
This is my parents' Bradford Pear. It's a cool tree because it has nice spring blossoms (already gone), but also because a lot of the secondary branches grow straight up and down, which is a very interesting look. I tried to shoot this to show three branches on the vertical 1/3 lines, and the bottom branch on the lower horizontal 1/3 line.

32 comments:

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    1. Thanks, Kim! Appreciate you stopping by :)

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  2. I think you captured the rule of thirds in spades. And the diagonal shot is perfect!!! Great shots!!!

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    1. Oh, thanks! I was a bit unsure about the diagonal :)

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  3. I think the first one does it best. Those are really cool stairs, all filled in like that. And my eye is led upwards, to where they stop. I like it.

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    1. Thanks! Those stairs are at the end of my block, and I always wonder where they used to lead... I thought the parallel lines would work for today's exercise. Appreciate your comment!

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  4. I love that second shot, beautiful composition and being frames by the green on the sides!

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  5. A great idea to do it dioagonally. A great shot. The others are perfect examples of the standard rule of thirds but I prefer your diagonal one and it seems to me like that should qualify just as well.

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    1. Thank you! I wanted to do a diagonal and be a little "out of the box" - literally, I guess ;)

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  6. The tree, that's all I can say, the tree does it for me.

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    1. Hey MizzKay! I LOVE the way those Bradford pears grow! There is one on the way to my daughter's school with hundreds of straight up and down vertical branches. So striking. I can never get a photo because there is nowhere to stop, except someone's driveway. :)

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  7. Three cheers for rule breaking - the idea of using diagonal thirds is fascinating. It gives me something to think about!

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  8. Hey I am learning so much. Some great shots. I forgot to add a broken rule. That makes me think as B&B suggested.
    QMM

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    1. Rules are made to be broken, or kinda stretched. ;). Thanks so much for coming by!!

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  9. While you imagine yourself a rule-breaker with that second shot, I view it a bit differently. That's a spot-on rule of thirds photo. My eye went right to the most interesting part of the photo, the upper right intersection where the stairs level out before continuing on wherever they lead. Really nicely done.

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    1. Thanks! Maybe it was a different interpretation of the same rule :)

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    1. Thanks, Rebecca! I wanted to try it every which way... ;)

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  11. What lovely compositions, each one a beauty.

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  12. The rule of thirds makes for very satisfying, well-balanced shots, Libby!

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    1. Thanks, Nick, I am just learning about this stuff and seeing how I do :)

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  13. Those diagonal stairs are perfect and that tree is just lovely.

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    1. Thanks! I had a lot of fun with this one :)

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  14. I, too, like the diagonal stairs and think it fits the rule perfectly.
    That's a spot-on rule of thirds photo. The path finishes at exactly the right intersect. Well done, indeed.

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  15. Thanks Pauline! Appreciate the feedback!

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  16. I am in full agreement - that the rule of thirds can be straight or tilted.... my own fav was of a tilted palm. that all said, I like you second shot best...

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    1. Thanks, I kinda do too! I found them in a gully and I thought they seemed kind of mysterious :)

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  17. These are beautiful Libby..I guess I should think more about the technical aspects when I take photos...

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    1. I am actually just now learning about this through this meme. :)

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