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Microsoft Picture It! Companion Guide
Chapter 2: Making the Most of Your Camera
38
If you have a person or animal in your photo, you can place the subject’s face
on one of the four points, looking toward the center of the scene. If the horizon
is in a photo, it should run about one-third from the top or one-third from the
bottom, depending on whether the terrain or the sky is the center of focus.
The rule of thirds is not an absolute law, and there have been many great
photographs taken that don’t abide by it. But the rule can be a great way to add
balance and interest to your photos.
6. Find a Unique Perspective
Challenge yourself to take original photos that convey unique perspectives.
Rather than just pressing your shutter button as soon as you have the urge to
capture a scene, take some time to assess your shooting angle, proximity to your
subject, and background elements. You may transform your composition by
taking one or more of the following simple steps:
■
Get closer to your subject, to show more detail and eliminate distractions
in the background.
■
Include just a portion of your subject in the frame.
■
Take your original subject and place it in the background. Find a new
subject that adds context to the object in the background.
■
Get lower to the ground, and point the camera up toward your subject.
■
Move to a higher location, above your subject, so you are pointing down
when you take the photo.
For example, if you are traveling, your natural instinct might be to take
straightforward photos of local monuments. But with this approach, you might
wind up with the same lackluster photos taken by scores of other tourists before
you. And there would be a good chance that a nearby souvenir shop would sell
superior, professionally photographed prints and slides of the same monuments.
For that matter, you could have just stayed home and ordered the professional
photos from a catalog.