From Learning to see by Alexander Olshansky.
Subject placement
Placing the subject matter off-center can be one of the simplest and best things you can do to add a dynamic sense to your photograph. The question is where to place it if not in the center. Rule of thirds to the rescue. If you take a frame, which is your photograph, and divide it by thirds horizontally and by thirds vertically, you will get a grid. Placing the subject matter where the vertical and horizontal lines intersect is most effective. That doesn’t mean that your entire subject should fit on a single spot. What it means is that the center of focus should reside on or around the intersecting line.
Foreground and background
It’s not enough to capture the decisive moment of an insect eating its young or the blooming of the flower. Attention must be paid to the background, the foreground as well as the subject matter. Be sure that the background does not distract the viewer from the main subject, while the foreground leads the eye towards it.
The photo of the bug below is an application of the rule of thirds — a rule that Sam is not even aware of.
It also shows the proper use of background and foreground (and depth of field) so that the focus is on the bug while the greens fill the frame and provide and interesting contrast.
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