Once you have mastered the breaking of the rules you can master your editing too with our FREE 11-part Lightroom course: Info here - ua-cam.com/video/doxBUAzaX9s/v-deo.html
When doing wildlife, at least at the time of capture, unless there are multiple elements in the scene that I want to capture (ie. 3 bison scatter in a field) I generally just break the rule and put everything in the middle of the frame. Most of my widlife so far has been of a single animal at a time (such as eagles), and then I crop in post to what I want (sometimes to follow or semi-follow the rules of thirds). Part of the reason I do this (keep the subject in the middle of the frame, particularly moving subjects) is it makes tracking easier. If the subject is static or moving slowly (let's say a bison walking around), and I know that they'll be there for at least a few seconds (or their path is mostly predictable), I may try to compose "properly" and do the "rule" of thirds, but most of my work so far has been moving subjects so center of the frame I have found is easiest, shooting a little loose (not completely filling the frame, but also not small in the frame) and then cropping later to taste based on the image. And as someone else mentioned, it's not so much a "rule" but rather (as Bill Fortney puts it in his videos) "Suggestion of Thirds".
Good suggestion! I often do that too if things move quick but when I have time I try to get it as close as possible in camera. I guess whatever works ;) Great input! - Sabine
You’re welcome Sabine. You and the Pangolin team are producing some many thought provoking videos that are good to watch during lockdown. Do keep making these videos - best regards - Jeremy
This is a most excellent video on composition. I am glad I found it. The clarity of the explanation is what makes the information stick with me. Thank you.
Really interesting, I do believe there is such a wide scope for composition, that some of the techniques, should be varied to avoid repartition in presenting everything you photograph, so much so, that they become boring. Thank you Sabine, for, "breaking the mould".
Good advice with excellent photos. I try not to miss your videos and those or your colleagues. Back in lockdown in Ontario, Canada so I figure 2021 is out for a visit. I do hope you all can stay well, physically, emotionally, and financially.
I read and write in Hebrew as I read from right to left, as that's my focus point is from right to left as yours and most people focus from left to right. As in photography the view is in the eye of the beholder.
Tnx, I like that you used nice photos to illustrate the points. I think most ‘novice’ get too excited by the wildlife to think composition:-)) it is fleeting moments as you correctly say and one is never sure that they got them (e.g. in focus, correct exposure). I think the advent of EVF technology and better AF and fps systems will remove some of this capture anxiety and allow even ‘novices’ to practice more their composition skills in the field.
Hi there. Great video. Specifically for the portrait images breaking the rule of thirds with the subject positioned centrally, I like to position the eyes slightly above the line of the top third
Interesting ideas Sabine. Thanks for that. As always, your pictures are great. I will try to implement some of what you showed us. But I think, if I like my picture then it's good. Regardless of the rules, as so often in life, it is in the eye of the observer... ;-)
Great video Sabine 👏👏 Thanks for the reminder that some rules are made to be broken (at least some of the time!) with example images to demonstrate. Really easy to get stuck in a routine when composing an image in post, gallery especially using those top left & right intersections. Stay well 👍
I've always believed the rule of thirds to be more recommendation than rule. I recall commenting on at least a few images on FB pages of the Pangolin team where there has been effective composition that did not adhere to the rule of thirds. I've also noted that some of the compositions have become more creative and hence inspiring because of it. An example is a recent shot by Charl with the front portion of a lions face coming out of the top right of the frame with the blurred elephant carcass in the background.
Rule of third can apply to static subjects as well. I have a thing for trees without the leaves during winter or dead trees. Depending on what is around the tree can dictate where in the frame to locate the tree.i took over 100 frames of a leafless tree that was in a slow lifting fog and placed it in every place possible in the frame. When I reviewed the shots I found the best ones were either to the left or right with the fog taking most of the frame. Truly surprised me, I had thought the centered shots would get my attention. Excellent video on a subject that's not covered enough.
Thank you very much Sabine. I accidentally stumbled into this video and it was wonderful. Your usage of terminology and perfect examples are a real game changer. I am quite raw in photography but your tips were amazing. I truly hope one day I will be there in your safari. Till then keep them coming. JP, Chennai, India.
I really appreciate this video because I find wildlife composition information difficult to find, despite buying multiple books on wildlife photography. The images you used were also fantastic - thanks!
Excellent video with examples. Thank you, Sabine! More wildlife conposition-ideas: patterns (like many flying birds, animals in the line and details of animals) and other graphical technics like colour, size and shape contrasts behind the rule of thirds.
Hi there and thank you for watching! The giraffe image should just show that it looks a bit strange if the animal (in this case the giraffe) is positioned too close to the image edge. If you compare that image to the others you'll see that there is more ground included in the other images which gives a bit more breathing space to the giraffe. Hope this answers your question?
Would it be correct to think that the suggestion of thirds is more applicable to rectangular images with a ratio of 2:3. What about square or wide formats?
Hi Martin. Yes that is correct. Square images and portraits often lend themselves more to centered compositions. In wide formats I guess one could still orientate on the rule of thirds but could also work great with negative space and more minimalistic compositions :)
@@PangolinWildlife Loved it, very useful to an amateur like me. One thing could have made it better though, I just wish I could be there right now to hear all of that advice face to face.....Hope this pandemic ends soon so that we can make plans for future trips.
The original ROT did NOT mention any intersection points, that belongs to Golden Ratio. The recent ROT is just an urban legend from the early days of DSLR when people think it is close enough from the Golden Ratio.
First, who is responsible for the rule of thirds? I’ll tell you, someone describing commonality for popular works of art. Maybe the rule works or maybe it does not to encourage image interest. Instead of thinking about the matter, just experiment with composition while viewing through camera’s eyepiece.
Just ignore it totally from the start. It's a load of nonsense. It was devised as a means to teach student artists perspective and has no place anywhere else!
Once you have mastered the breaking of the rules you can master your editing too with our FREE 11-part Lightroom course: Info here - ua-cam.com/video/doxBUAzaX9s/v-deo.html
Thanks a lot for the very nice information
You are most welcome and thank you for watching!
Our pleasure!
Sabine
So pleased to see your hints on composition. As always they are very useful and accessible.
We miss you all at Pangolin very much.
Hi Doug. Thank you very much, hopefully we can meet in Botswana soon! - Sabine
The examples provided for the tips being presented were perfect illustrations!
Thank you Thomas.
what beautiful images you've shown !!! wow. 😀
Thank you very much!
Great advice and stunning photos! 🐘💛🦁
Thanks so much! 😊
Thank you very much!
I completely agree with you !
Thank you.
Thank you guys :)
Excellent video.. thank you.
Sympatico ☺☺
When doing wildlife, at least at the time of capture, unless there are multiple elements in the scene that I want to capture (ie. 3 bison scatter in a field) I generally just break the rule and put everything in the middle of the frame. Most of my widlife so far has been of a single animal at a time (such as eagles), and then I crop in post to what I want (sometimes to follow or semi-follow the rules of thirds). Part of the reason I do this (keep the subject in the middle of the frame, particularly moving subjects) is it makes tracking easier. If the subject is static or moving slowly (let's say a bison walking around), and I know that they'll be there for at least a few seconds (or their path is mostly predictable), I may try to compose "properly" and do the "rule" of thirds, but most of my work so far has been moving subjects so center of the frame I have found is easiest, shooting a little loose (not completely filling the frame, but also not small in the frame) and then cropping later to taste based on the image.
And as someone else mentioned, it's not so much a "rule" but rather (as Bill Fortney puts it in his videos) "Suggestion of Thirds".
Good suggestion! I often do that too if things move quick but when I have time I try to get it as close as possible in camera. I guess whatever works ;) Great input! - Sabine
Thank you for another super duper video
Thank you Jim, appreciate all you guys watching and taking a moment to comment ;)
Our pleasure!
Some good food for thought there Sabina,thanks
Any time!
Glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
Very nicely done video. Thanks.
Thank you very much for watching and leaving this nice feedback!
Glad you liked it!
Thanks for sharing...
Thank you for watching!
Thanks for watching!
Sabine, Thank you for the awesome presentation. Very interesting to see the corner ones..!!
You are most welcome and happy you liked it ;) -Sabine
Photography is like life. You never stop learning.
True!
True!
Sabine, Thanks for your great tips. I will certainly use them
Awesome 👍
Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment! - Sabine
Brilliant ideas. Thanks
You are very welcome, enjoy experimenting :) - Sabine
Thanks Sabine some really helpfull tips.All the best to you all in a locked down Botswana .
Thank you! Botswana not in lockdown though! Only SA I believe.
Thank you very much Sarel! I hope all is good by you too and you stay healthy :)
Excellent as usual. Thanks!!
Thanks a lot and have a nice day ;)
Glad you enjoyed it!
Nice pictures 😊👍
Thanks so much ;)
Thanks 😁
It’s good to hear your suggestions Sabine 👍🏻
Thank you.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it :)
You’re welcome Sabine. You and the Pangolin team are producing some many thought provoking videos that are good to watch during lockdown.
Do keep making these videos - best regards - Jeremy
This is a most excellent video on composition. I am glad I found it. The clarity of the explanation is what makes the information stick with me. Thank you.
outstanding video
Great to hear, thank you! -Sabine
What a beautiful instructor..
Good One Mam
Thanks a lot
@@PangolinWildlife you are welcome
Thank you!
@@sabine-pangolinphotohost9232 😀👍
Thanks for the fresh ideas with relevant examples Sabine. These will be useful the next time I shoot.👍
Great to hear!
That is great to hear, thank you!
GREAT TO WATCH AND REFRESH YOUR THINKING
Thanks Piet. Hope you are well. Toby.
Thanks for watching Piet! Hoop dit gaan goed met julle :)
Excellent content as always!!
Much appreciated!
Thank you Ron! Hope you are happy and healthy :)
Always love your very useful tips and the beautiful images that you show to illustrate these points.
Glad you like them!
Thank you very much Steve!
Awesome ideas Sabine 🔥🔥
Thank you! 😊
Thanks Sayan ;)
Some great tips &, great photos also. Thank you.
Thanks for watching!
Sabine these are excellent excellent suggestions. Thank you so much.
Thank you and I am glad you enjoyed it :)
So glad!
Thanks Sabine - great tips and spectacular images.
Thank you Richard. Very nice to hear that!
Great video. Some food ideas to try.
Thank you Yvonne. Glad if it can be of any help! - Sabine
Thank you
You are most welcome, have a terrific day :)
You're welcome
@@PangolinWildlife your great teacher.
Some fantastic tips there Sabine and co!
Awesome! Thank you so much for watching :)
interesting take; I liked the suggestions about using image edges, and corners
Really interesting, I do believe there is such a wide scope for composition, that some of the techniques, should be varied to avoid repartition in presenting everything you photograph, so much so, that they become boring. Thank you Sabine, for, "breaking the mould".
Hey Colin. Thanks for your input as well and glad you enjoyed the video ;) - Sabine
Good advice with excellent photos. I try not to miss your videos and those or your colleagues. Back in lockdown in Ontario, Canada so I figure 2021 is out for a visit. I do hope you all can stay well, physically, emotionally, and financially.
Hi Edward. Thank you for the nice feedback! Sorry to hear about the lockdown. I guess we are all heading back there unfortunately! Stay well too!!!
Glad you like them!
Hello to you too.
This was a nice surprise for a Wednesday morning!
Morning!
I read and write in Hebrew as I read from right to left, as that's my focus point is from right to left as yours and most people focus from left to right. As in photography the view is in the eye of the beholder.
So true Mark ... that makes a big difference for compositions - cheers Janine
Tnx, I like that you used nice photos to illustrate the points. I think most ‘novice’ get too excited by the wildlife to think composition:-)) it is fleeting moments as you correctly say and one is never sure that they got them (e.g. in focus, correct exposure). I think the advent of EVF technology and better AF and fps systems will remove some of this capture anxiety and allow even ‘novices’ to practice more their composition skills in the field.
We can but hope. Thanks.
Very true Dimitris! Thank you for watching :)
I wish this video would get out to all the people that think every centered picture is wrong and shut them up for once.
I agree that there isn't any right or wrong. Thank you for watching and leaving a comment ;) - Sabine
Hi there. Great video. Specifically for the portrait images breaking the rule of thirds with the subject positioned centrally, I like to position the eyes slightly above the line of the top third
Thank you very much for your input as well ;) - Sabine
Interesting ideas Sabine. Thanks for that. As always, your pictures are great. I will try to implement some of what you showed us. But I think, if I like my picture then it's good. Regardless of the rules, as so often in life, it is in the eye of the observer... ;-)
Thanks Pablo. I totally agree that you as the photographer has to be happy with the result and in the end that is all that counts ;) - Sabine
Great video Sabine 👏👏 Thanks for the reminder that some rules are made to be broken (at least some of the time!) with example images to demonstrate. Really easy to get stuck in a routine when composing an image in post, gallery especially using those top left & right intersections. Stay well 👍
So true! Thanks Adrian
Thank you for watching and glad the reminder could help. Stay happy and healthy too ;)
Thanks Sabine, great presentation with lovely photos ;)
You are welcome. Have a nice day!
Glad you liked it!
I've always believed the rule of thirds to be more recommendation than rule. I recall commenting on at least a few images on FB pages of the Pangolin team where there has been effective composition that did not adhere to the rule of thirds. I've also noted that some of the compositions have become more creative and hence inspiring because of it. An example is a recent shot by Charl with the front portion of a lions face coming out of the top right of the frame with the blurred elephant carcass in the background.
Hey Brian. Glad you like the more unconventional approach ;) - Sabine
Rule of third can apply to static subjects as well. I have a thing for trees without the leaves during winter or dead trees. Depending on what is around the tree can dictate where in the frame to locate the tree.i took over 100 frames of a leafless tree that was in a slow lifting fog and placed it in every place possible in the frame. When I reviewed the shots I found the best ones were either to the left or right with the fog taking most of the frame. Truly surprised me, I had thought the centered shots would get my attention. Excellent video on a subject that's not covered enough.
Thank you very much Guy! You are absolutely right that the rule of thirds works with trees as well beautifully!
Great suggestions Sabine - particularly like the “corners” - should keep me busy for a few more days of “Lockdown”.
Awesome David! Have fun experimenting ;) - Sabine
That's really amazing 🔥
Thanks.
Thank you very much Sabine. I accidentally stumbled into this video and it was wonderful. Your usage of terminology and perfect examples are a real game changer. I am quite raw in photography but your tips were amazing. I truly hope one day I will be there in your safari. Till then keep them coming. JP, Chennai, India.
some stunning photographs, this will get me out of a rut. Thank you.
Always good to try out new things, happy if it motivated you! - Sabine
Excellent video - learned quite a bit from it. Great presentation Thank You !
That is great to hear Brian. So happy when it helps people :) - Sabine
This was very informative made me think about some things that could make my pictures better thank you
Glad it was helpful!
I really appreciate this video because I find wildlife composition information difficult to find, despite buying multiple books on wildlife photography. The images you used were also fantastic - thanks!
Hi Stephen. Thank you for your nice feedback and I am so glad if our videos help you! Many more coming so stay tuned ;) - Sabine
Excellent video with examples. Thank you, Sabine! More wildlife conposition-ideas: patterns (like many flying birds, animals in the line and details of animals) and other graphical technics like colour, size and shape contrasts behind the rule of thirds.
Thank you Elena. That is absolutely right. Thanks for all your input ;) - Sabine
Hi Sabine
600mm F6.3 vs 800mm F6.3 nikkor lens - what would be your pick for big cats
Thanks Sabine, another excellent tutorial from you loons and quines (lets see who understands that!)
Thanks Ray. I must admit I had to google it :))) So you taught me something today! - Sabine
That's amazing.. However I didn't understood the difference between the negative space of other pictures with that off giraffes. Could you elaborate?
Hi there and thank you for watching! The giraffe image should just show that it looks a bit strange if the animal (in this case the giraffe) is positioned too close to the image edge. If you compare that image to the others you'll see that there is more ground included in the other images which gives a bit more breathing space to the giraffe. Hope this answers your question?
@@sabine-pangolinphotohost9232 ah got it
Would it be correct to think that the suggestion of thirds is more applicable to rectangular images with a ratio of 2:3. What about square or wide formats?
Hi Martin. Yes that is correct. Square images and portraits often lend themselves more to centered compositions. In wide formats I guess one could still orientate on the rule of thirds but could also work great with negative space and more minimalistic compositions :)
Sitting here waiting, one minute to go....
Did you enjoy it?
@@PangolinWildlife Loved it, very useful to an amateur like me. One thing could have made it better though, I just wish I could be there right now to hear all of that advice face to face.....Hope this pandemic ends soon so that we can make plans for future trips.
👍
Cheers.
@@PangolinWildlife cheers
The original ROT did NOT mention any intersection points, that belongs to Golden Ratio. The recent ROT is just an urban legend from the early days of DSLR when people think it is close enough from the Golden Ratio.
Interesting! Thanks for sharing this here ;) - Sabine
The "rule of 1/3rds" isn't a rule in my opinion. It's a suggestion :) There are often time when a different composition looks more pleasing.
So true.
Well said! Thank you for watching and commenting :)
Photography rules are only guidelines. But the people who can't live without the rules, simply lost their life and freedom.
I am interested in p
Great to hear ;-)
The rule of thirds is ancient.
The new rule is 34/92•42
First, who is responsible for the rule of thirds? I’ll tell you, someone describing commonality for popular works of art. Maybe the rule works or maybe it does not to encourage image interest. Instead of thinking about the matter, just experiment with composition while viewing through camera’s eyepiece.
Very true indeed. Thank you for the great advise ;) - Sabine
No rules no rules to follow just create
Just ignore it totally from the start. It's a load of nonsense. It was devised as a means to teach student artists perspective and has no place anywhere else!
Thanks for watching and leaving your opinion here ;) - Sabine