Everyday, people take photos by pointing their camera at something interesting and clicking the shutter. Often, these photos do not turn out as interesting as the scene that was before them. What makes a photo interesting is showing someone something they do not normally see. This can be achieved through subject matter, through treatment or, ideally, through both. You can

THE DEBATE One of the long-standing rules of photography, the rule of thirds, has become a contentious issue in some quarters, dividing opinion into two halves. On the whole it is widely accepted as being a recognised aesthetic principle, yet recently some photographers have ventured forth with the opinion that the rule of thirds has become a stifling rut. The

This is based on a posting made on Flickr. I uploaded this image under the title 'Rule of Thirds? Eat my shorts!' Paul Jerry then posed the question as to whether I was claiming this image does not conform to the rule of thirds. When I was preparing this image in Photoshop, it started out as a definite 'rule of