When should I center an image?

Jul 13, 2010

Here is why I centered one and not the other
by: Ted

Venkat,

Thanks for your inquiry, and welcome to "improveYourDP".

You ask a good question about centering the jumbo jet, but not the warship. The jet is the clearer case of the two. It is centered on the fountain, it is nearly centered on the window frames, which are well balanced in the image, and the silhouetted people are also centered. The bottom of the sign at top left and the jetways at right interfere with the symmetry, but not much. If you haven't looked at the bilateral symmetry page, you might want to do so as this image fits those criteria (http://www.improve-your-digital-photography.com/Bilateral_Symmetry.html).

The warship is deceptive. On the surface, it is as symmetrical as the jet, but it was shot slightly off-center to the left, and the dock and mooring line are stronger distracting elements than the jetway on the jumbo jet image. Plus, centering the image made me feel (yes, it is a personal, emotional decision) as if the ship were too boxed in. Hence, I went for the off-center composition.

Please remember that these are just guidelines. The rule of thirds just says to place things off-center, at least in my book, unless there is a compelling reason (e.g. symmetry) to center the subject. The key to these guidelines is to give you, the reader, things to think about, which you are clearly doing.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Ted

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Jul 13, 2010
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Submitted by: Ted

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Venkat, Thanks for your inquiry, and welcome to "improveYourDP". You ask a good question about centering the jumbo jet, but not the warship. The jet is the clearer case of the two. It is centered on the fountain, it is nearly centered on the window frames, which are well balanced in the image, and the silhouetted people are also centered. The bottom of the sign at top left and the jetways at right interfere with the symmetry, but not much. If you haven't looked at the bilateral symmetry page, you might want to do so as this image fits those criteria (http://www.improve-your-digital-photography.com/Bilateral_Symmetry.html). The warship is deceptive. On the surface, it is as symmetrical as the jet, but it was shot slightly off-center to the left, and the dock and mooring line are stronger distracting elements than the jetway on the jumbo jet image. Plus, centering the image made me feel (yes, it is a personal, emotional decision) as if the ship were too boxed in. Hence, I went for the off-center composition. Please remember that these are just guidelines. The rule of thirds just says to place things off-center, at least in my book, unless there is a compelling reason (e.g. symmetry) to center the subject. The key to these guidelines is to give you, the reader, things to think about, which you are clearly doing. Hope this helps. Cheers, Ted

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