Lyme Regis ia a popular resort on the South Coast on the border between Dorset and Devon. It’s well-known for The Cobb – a man-made stone projection into the sea that protects the harbour and was first built centuries ago. It is most famous for featuring in the film ‘The French Lieutenant’s Woman’.
Walking out onto The Cobb is a ‘must’ for any visitor to Lyme. I’ve walked that walk quite a few times over the years but never in the right conditions for a great photograph. We were in Lyme just recently for a family get together. It was baking hot. The Cobb was not likely to be photogenic, but views from it across the harbour were worth the walk.
This was one of the images I captured of little boats in the harbour. According to the normal rules of composition, odd numbers of objects are regarded as preferable to even numbers. Unfortunately the boats were not thus aligned., but I thought this was an attractive composition nevertheless.
LensScaper 
I would agree…nicely done.
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Thanks Sue
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I agree with Sue’s comment and to be honest, rules are meant to be broken. I sincerely believe that depending on the composition (or subject), broken rules can make us more unique and interesting as photographers. Besides, your 4 boats fall into two sizes AND the morning ropes change the size/shape/composition again.
I don’t necessarily like flower closeups slap-bang in the centre of the frame (when shot from overhead), but I’ve got several images that are in the centre and they look perfect (apart from some others which might fit the rule of thirds.
It’s like a painter standing back from his half-finished artwork to ‘see’ if it looks balanced or ‘right’.
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Many thanks for your comment Vicki. I agree with all you say. I too have a collection of flower shots, centred within a square crop – they look fine. I think there is too much emphasis in articles and books on compositional rules. Newish photographers are a little reluctant to break those rules, but when you start to be ‘individual’ then you gain the confidence to follow what looks right and has balance, as you say. I’m a natural maverick so I’ve been breaking rules for years!
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Me Too. I’ve always been the Eccentric Odd one out in my working life, and now that I’m retired due to ill-health, I kind of like doing my newish hobby of Photography my way…..even if it’s ‘wrong’ 🙂
I even had a commenter tell me I shouldn’t put the subject in the centre as it was all against the Rule of Thirds. I looked at his blog, as you do when you get a new follower/commenter, and his images just looked like every snapshot around. I tactfully and politely suggested “rules are meant to be broken” and he might like to try it sometime with his own photography.
(BTW I just noticed you started following my B & W blog, thank you, which I rarely use these days. I’ve just erased all my posts – nearly 300 – and revamped my nature blog and started all over again. Perhaps you might prefer nature to B & W ? There should be a link to Living with Nature on the Home page of the B & W one if you do. Or just stick around in case I ‘see’ something in B & W in the future).
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Thanks for the note about your Nature blog, Vicki – followed.
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Nicely done. I was immediately drawn to the composition. Colors and shadows are good. What’s not to like?
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Thanks John, Glad you like it
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Forget the rules! I think of them more as guidelines, anyway. This is a great image — harmonious, balanced, inviting. Nicely done, Andy.
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Thanks Heide.
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Attractive, especially in the heat you all have been subjected to lately! Maybe you did keep to the odd numbered objects rule – 3 blue boats, 1 red one. 🙂
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Thanks Lynn. It’s getting hotter this week, rather than cooler. Yes my thoughts entirely, the red boat makes all the difference – creating odd numbers and impact.
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