Rule of thirds and storm photography

[kmreid]

Can't argue with that logic one bit. Even then, it is a pretty decent shot.

 

[Greg Campbell]

I'm curious to hear thoughts from other chasers on the applicability of the "rule of thirds" to storm photography. I've always held to more of a "rule of fourths or fifths" for storms, simply because I can't justify cutting out part of the primary subject simply to have a proper third of the ground in the view. The storm is what I want to capture, so why cut off the top of a picturesque supercell or lightning bolt just to give the ground more real estate for photography purists?

I think there are instances where a more standard 1/3 ground composition is in order, especially if there is some object in the foreground that is a major element in the photo (city skyline, etc). But even then, if I have a sky-filling storm (lightning or storm structure), I can never bring myself to cut part of it off - I want as much of it in the image as possible.

There is no 'proper' ratio, only that which looks good to your eye. Blindly following ROT is just as mindless as blindly centering the the main subject. If composition, beauty and art were as simple as placing things on a tic-tac-toe board, we'd all be masters.

When shooting sky, lightning, storms, etc., I usually compose with a tiny sliver of ground along the bottom of the frame - just enough to provide a frame of reference for the observer. (If there is a lot of interesting, well lit foreground detail, a vertical ROT division it not at all out of the question.) When cropping in post, I most certainly do not consciously think about ROT. I just look and trust my 'eye' to best judge how the various areas of the image balance one another. A dash of color here, less there; textured vs smooth; light vs dark, etc. It's all about allowing the various elements to play off one another without overwhelming the image, not about simple area ratios. Sometimes, my 'eye' chooses a ROT-centric crop, sometimes not. I try not to think about it.

As for the notion that conscious implementation of ROT is somehow required to make 'Art,' suffice to say I strongly disagree. AFAIK, 'Art' is about shaping your creation to match your particular sense of aesthetic, not about following a pre-defined list of dumbed down 'rules.'

Here's a good discussion of the topic that approaches the notion of ROT in a less than literal manner, while adding several interesting twists, such as diagonal thirds, etc. IMO this guy's YT channel is one of the best photography sources around - highly recommended!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cEKmpIngy8

See also (his later videos get better in terms of focus and timing. #5, the ROT video above, is kinda erratic in that regard.)
https://www.youtube.com/user/theartofphotography
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-3zOuqaUBY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKDObRUywhE

 

[Greg Campbell]

Power lines. Urk!!

I used to take a purist approach, as still vastly prefer to find a clean horizon, but when shooting near a large city, power lines are everywhere!
What filters, plug ins, or apps are best for eradicating the damn things?