Tip Tuesday – Off-Centering

It has always been common practice for me to place all portrait subjects in the center of the image.

What I noticed that by doing that, my images would sometimes lack character. The kids would look bored standing in the middle of what looked like nothing because I did not capture what was around them. Or if I did capture what was around them, it swallowed them and it was like Where’s Waldo? to find them. :)

By off-centering your subject, you not only give a different perspective of the scene, but you also add a story-telling element to it.

Before a recent session I noticed that the sky above the “lighthouse” (not sure if it really IS a lighthouse or just an imposter) was gorgeous. It was the one day with sunlight after weeks of rain and the sky was like a reflection from the ocean. The clouds looked like waves.

When I centered the lighthouse, it cut the sky in half and broke the uniformity of the clouds. To the left you can also see the houses. The houses did not quite give me the Marina feel that I wanted it to.

So, I took the shot again with the lighthouse off-centered.

Now you can see the clouds rolling in. You can see the greenery and the location feels more nature-centric. With the lighthouse on the left, the image also has a feel of movement. Your eyes wander through the image and follow the lighthouse to the right.

Try taking some images with your subject off-centered. Add movement to the image by allowing “empty” space in the direction they are looking into.

I hope you enjoyed your tip of the day. :)