Photography has been a hobby for some years and I’ll be the first to admit that I know nothing of this snappy profession. What I do know is that I love to take pictures, of anything, and everything.

A few days ago I went shutter happy on some beautiful cows and calf’s in the hilly mountains of Sardinia, Italy. I then asked for some advice.

Michele over at Our Italian Table offered me the best advice a beginner could ask for!

The Rule of Thirds – A Beginners Guide

• When you look through the viewfinder, or the LCD display on the back of your digital camera; imagine a perfect tic-tac-toe board displayed. (Most digital cameras have a grid setting which will display the grid automatically for you … hey, I found mine, you can to.)
• The first horizontal line, at the top is the Eye Line. This is where you put your subject’s eye, line.
• The second horizontal line, at the bottom is the Horizon Line. This is where you want to level your horizon.
• You can play with the horizon on both horizontal lines, it all depends on what type of photography you wish for the final picture.
• A high horizon line creates depth in the photo.
• A low horizon line helps eliminate boring foregrounds.

Rule of thumb

The experts agree, if you want a dynamite photograph that pops out from the page, or a photo that expresses justly a moment in time – then do not center your subject in the middle of your grid.

By centering the subject in the middle of the grid, you are creating a static photo. A static photo has no depth, movement or flow. A static photo is boring, and who wants boring? I don’t.

Remember …

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