Today I was playing around with the rule of thirds in photography. This states that for a photograph to be pleasing to the viewer then it should be balanced with the main subject off to one side of the shot rather than in the centre as we see in countless selfies.
The idea is that you imagine that the scene of the photo is cut into a a grid of 9 squares and you place the subject on the intersecting lines of either top left or right of the photo.
When it comes to photographing landscapes then these rules are asking to be broken. Photographing the flatlands of East Anglia is a daunting task as the sky is wide and the terrain is basically featureless. It is a challenge but one I am prepared to have a go at.
In the image below I have given the sky prominence with it covering two thirds of the photo. The contrasting colours make it a little more interesting.
There is something very appealing to me in these wide open landscapes. Maybe because I was raised in the city with buildings everywhere and very little of the sky on view. When I see these big open vistas it makes me feel very expansive.
In this image below I have focused on the crops in the field and given them 4/5ths of the photograph and it changes the dynamic of the shot. Notice how the trees in the distance are still bare and yet the crops are bright green due to the recent early heatwave we had here in the UK.
Just 10 miles north and inland from this spot the land starts to gently undulate and we get a few hilly features as you can see in this image below.
There is something very serene about these flatlands. It is very difficult to capture but the sense of space is overwhealming but in a good way. Trying to get that sense of space and the endless possibities it conjures up is pretty magical.
My entry for #treetuesday initiated by @old-guy-photos and two others from last years series.
Me carrying a huge tree
Autumn trees
Will this fit on the barbi?
| Category | (Landscape photography)
| Camera | (Canon EOS 70D)
| Exposure | (1/250)
| f Stop | (f/11)
| ISO | (100)
| Lens | (Canon 50mm lens)
| Location | Flatlands of Cambridegshire, England | |
thanks for describing the rule of thirds. I've been doing exactly that with my own photographs, but I did not know that there was a rule or a term for it. Thanks. You learn something every day. cheers.
The great thing about rules is that we can break them and make something different. It is a good rule in general but doesn't work for me with landscapes. Cheers! :-)
Photos looks great. The last one cracked me up. 😂
Hey Jo, what do ya know lol It cracked me up too, trying to lift it onto the BBQ! 😂
I love the serenity of those fields :) Lots of space for clouds to float by.
Cracking up at the tree your carrying. ; )
Hey Ross, good to hear from you fella. It is pretty inspiring to see these wide open spaces. Very difficult to capture but I do like a challenge. Hence the big tree on my back haha
Recharging my vp so have a !tip instead :-)
Hi! Thank you!
Panoramas might be good there. They don't show up so well on any internet type platform though. A series of big prints on a wall would really be the best way to see it i think. Say about 10 ft high by 20 ft wide or so ; ) Then you would be standing right in it. I'm thinking of Monet's paintings in the Musee de L'Orangerie. Are you familiar with that? It's pretty amazing.
Here's a link where you can see them. It makes me a little dizzy the way it moves around
https://www.musee-orangerie.fr/en/article/water-lilies-virtual-visit
I agree, we need a big canvas to really take in these huge vistas and the web just doesn't do justice to panoramas even with the 360 shots. The Monet looks curved in the link but I can imagine what it looks like. I've seen the image in 2D before.
I like the idea of a bigger canvas.
My Monet example wasn't the best in regards to your landscape but it was his idea of a panoramic view that you stand in as if you are really there that i love! Yeah, a bigger canvas. Hmmm, i need a bigger monitor screen at least! :)
The first image above, kind of gets what I'm trying to capture in the landscape.
That tiny full grown tree in the distance. Gives some idea of vastness.
It's a tricky one for sure when most people will see it on a phone screen.
It's the photographic challenge that is interesting...at least to me ;-)
!tip
Sorry, the tip is higher than your deposit.
You can check your deposit by sending 0.001 SBD to @tipu with memo: status
(the minimal tip is 0.1 SBD/STEEM)
🎁 Hi @rossfletcher! You have received 0.1 SBD tip from @molometer!
@molometer wrote lately about: Goldfinches In The Garden Feel free to follow @molometer if you like it :)
Sending tips with @tipU - how to guide :)
When I was first learning about the rule of thirds I was advised to decide what the photo was primarily about. Was it mainly about the sky? Was it the fields? And I would say, no it's about everything! Nice photos, love the last shot... come on, lift that thing!
Yep I was talking to my daughter-in-law about the difficulties of photographing these wide open landscapes and spaces (she's very creative) and she said 'think about the colours' and with that in mind this was my first shoot using that idea.
For me it was as you say about the whole thing. The contrast between the blue sky and the green field in the first photo and then the green of the field with the washed our tiny section of sky.
The last shot should be titled. Where did you want this? ;-)
Perfect... or Hold the door, I'm bringing it in!
I have travelled a couple of times by bus in the UK and the scenarios you find... Even just from the highway are gorgeous 😊
Posted using Partiko Android
The UK has just about every kind of scenery you could think of. We are very lucky to have such abundance.
Those photos are beautiful. The last picture OMG😱
Yep that is exactly what I was saying while underneath it... OMG😱 lol
Pleasing pictures, last one showing tremendous strength. :-)
I like to keep fit Mike. Lifting a few logs works for me lol
Ha ha ... you are my new hero...
Very good and interesting content. East Anglia is an underrated part of the UK with hidden beauty. I'm expecting to visit Norwich, East Anglia in May.
That's great, you will see these vast open places especially if you travel by train. It's a mystical place with very few humans about. I haven't been to Norwich in years. Hope you enjoy it.