Breaking All The Rules. Or, “Go ahead! Put the cows and the horizon smack dab in the middle of the frame.”

On a recent drive through the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, I came across a half dozen cattle grazing on a hill. I hit the breaks and took a daring cow-in-the-middle-horizon-in-the-middle shot. I felt rebellious. I saw two cows standing proudly on the hill. For me, in that moment, there was no other option. Front and center was the only composition I could see. I came away with a powerful image; one I never would have dared back in junior high.

I was only 13 when I took my first photography class. I was in the 7^th grade at Masconomet Junior High School in Boxford, Massachusetts. (Boxford is 30 miles north of Boston - home to the winners of the 2013 Major League Baseball World Series – just thought I’d throw that in there). I had a ginormous, clunky Canon. Film, of course. I’m pretty sure the camera was a hand-me-down from my Uncle Bunk or maybe, Uncle Buster. Both were avid photographers. And, yes, my mother’s brothers’ have funny nicknames. (Their real names are Benjamin and Arthur).

The teacher stood at the front of the classroom and told us about the rules of photography. Rule number one: never-ever-ever, place the horizon in the center of your frame. I learned that if you divide the shot into three equal parts, the horizon should be close to one of the two lines that divide the shot. Just don’t, under any circumstance, split the frame in half with the horizon.

Rule number two: the well-known rule of thirds. That is, you should divide your shot into thirds, both horizontally and vertically - imagine a tic-tac-toe board. When shooting, place your horizontal shots (like the horizon) on the top or bottom line, and your vertical shots (like a person or a tree, or a person in a tree), on the left or right line. “This will make for nice composition,” she told us.

I find that these are generally good guidelines for, say, a 7^th grader. After that, they seem pretty arbitrary and should probably be taken with a grain of silver halide (shout out to the venerable dark room geeks). Instead, try experimenting. Throw a tree in the middle, the horizon in the middle, a cat, a bird, a goat in the middle. Why not a toaster, or a pigeon, or even a donkey? Heck, throw the whole kitchen sink in the middle!

Have fun with it. You just might come away with an image you really love. Rules or no rules.