This assignment challenged us to use the concept of rule of thirds while taking pictures. The rule is basically a reminder that helps to create interesting and balanced photographs. Before taking the pictures I would view the image on the LCD screen on my camera and imagine a tic-tac-toe grid. This grid allowed me to identify important parts within the frame that were possible points of interest.

Here once again is the garden scene. This is one of my favorite photographs, which was taken at the Arboretum. I was not sure if the photo would turn out the way I had wanted it to, but I love the way the sun was coming through the trees, and the interesting placement of the two pathways. Coincidentally it turned out perfectly. The rule of thirds can be applied to this image by applying the grid. The first path begins where there is an intersecting point on the grid in the bottom right hand corner, making it a focus point. From there the lines of the pathway lead your eyes to the staircase. The top of the stairs in the upper left hand corner also forms a focus point.

(If you move your mouse over the image you will see the second photo of a cat) I purposely tried to frame the image so that the cat’s head would be on one of the intersecting points of the “grid”, especially his eyes. I was lucky to catch my cat staring off into the distance long enough for me to frame the shot. The reason I like this photo so much is because it is simple. If there had been more than one focus point I think it would not have been as dramatic.