This exercise has asked me to photograph a subject multiple times whilst placing it in different parts of the frame. I decided to photograph an electricity pylon against the sky. My original intention was to take this set of images on a clear blue-sky day, however the Northern Irish weather is very rarely kind or predictable. So I had to make do with a day when the weather was particularly good with patchy cloud.
There are many compositional rules in photography; leading lines, pattern, texture, colour, contrast, symmetry, balance and diagonals to name just a few, there are many, many more. It is not necessary to use only one compositional rule in a single photograph. However I feel the most appropriate for what this exercise is asking of me is the rule of thirds.
Rule of Thirds
One of the most basic compositional rules is the rule of thirds. The rule of thirds works on having an imaginary grid overlaid on top of the image with the lines making an equal nine-rectangle grid. 
When objects of interest are placed within the frame so that they lie on one of the thirds lines, or where the lines interject, it makes the overall image more pleasing compositionally. The image above shows how the grid would look within the viewfinder frame and how to place objects within the frame on the third lines.
Knowing about the compositional rule of thirds is very useful for basic image composition and especially useful in this exercise. The exercise has asked for the subject to be placed within various different positions within the frame and by applying the rule of thirds to this exercise, I can quickly start to find the best position for my subject without too much trial and error. Therefore, I know prior to shooting this exercise that my subject will be placed upon one of the thirds lines with the hope of it falling upon one of the point where the lines interject.
Electricity Pylons
So for this exercise, I decided to shoot an electricity pylon against a blue sky. However as good as the Northern Irish weather was, it didn’t quite play ball, and I ended up with a patchy cloudy day.
The exercise has asked me to place the images in order of preference and to compare them to discover what works and what doesn’t work so well.
f11, 1/1600sec, ISO200
This was the first image I took and, although not fitting fully within the rule of thirds, is my favourite image. I placed the electricity pylon directly in the centre of the frame and positioned the cross bar roughly on the top horizontal thirds line. The pylon being in the centre adds a simple symmetry to the image that is balanced out by the empty space both sides, and filled by the sky.
The power cables running from top left of frame to bottom left of frame create a leading line, that draws the eye across the image and make the viewer question where the cables are going.
f11, 1/1600sec, ISO200
In the second image I took I moved the pylon to the left of the frame, placing it roughly on the thirds line with the cross bar on the horizontal line again. Due to using a 28mm lens and my perspective looking up at the pylon has caused some vertical distortion, causing the pylon to look as though it is falling over in the frame. Moving the pylon to the left of the frame has caused a large amount of negative space to the right side, this has been broken somewhat by the by the power cables. However this negative space has caused the sky to become the main subject of the image making the pylon a mere distraction within the frame.
I feel that this image could be improved by showing the next pylon along in the series in the very bottom right of the frame. Although this would only be a very small addition to the image, I feel that it would break up the large open space and bring the prominence back to the main pylon in the image.
Having said all of the above, I do feel that the image on its own, without the others to compare it to, does work.
f11, 1/1600sec, ISO200
I originally did not like this image, and only included it to show potential different positions of the subject, but…it’s growing on me! Having moved the pylon to the bottom right corner has caused the power cables to draw the eye into the main subject. Even though the main subject is very small within the frame, I don’t feel that it is over powered in quite the same way as the previous image.
The more I look at this, the more it’s growing on me!
f11, 1/1600sec, ISO200
The sky in this image has taken over as the main subject. I feel that the eye is drawn to the cloud formations long before viewing the pylon.
After writing this exercise, I have decided that my favourite image is the third. Subject placement has a massive impact upon the overall image, even when the background is quite sparse so it’s definitely something I’m going to need to keep in mind for future work.
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