When it comes to photography, there is a natural tendency for your eye to line up your subject in such a way that it’s framed perfectly in the center, or perhaps off to the side a bit using the rule of thirds. You try to capture as much of your subject as possible, or at least the interesting parts. I suppose this is because this is how our eyes work in the real world. When you’re talking to someone, do you look at their left shoulder or straight into their eyes?
Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But sometimes it makes for an interesting shot to go completely against your instincts like local photographer Josua Yospyn has done here. I love how the bike rider’s head is cropped right out of the scene because it would only serve as a distraction. It forces your eye to go from his shadow to the interesting geometry of the white tennis court lines. I don’t know about you, but it makes me reminisce about being a kid, riding my bike around the neighborhood, and not having a care in the world. Ah, those were the days. Slurpee anyone?
So next time you’re out shooting, try to break free from “the rules”, view your subject in a different way, and let your viewer imagine the things that they can’t see.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
