composation

Guideline: Don't Center the Subject

In most circumstances, many skilled artists would dismiss a centered subject as amateurish and unimaginative. Centering a subject provides an average view of a scene and robs the image of uniqueness. After all, anyone can stare straight at a bird in the water. What's special about that? For this shot, the concentric circles around the centered bird made the scene special. The way to compose this shot was obvious: ignore the guidelines.

The circles, the silky texture of the water, the bird looking at me, and the subject's perky pose all contribute to the success of this classic bull's-eye composition. If the bird had been looking away from me, the image would have been acceptable, but much of its appeal would be diminished because contact with the subject would be lost.