This week I had the pleasure of attending a virtual conference on travel photography.  Each presenter discussed their own take on what makes a good travel photo, one that tells the story of your trip, evokes some type emotion and one that makes the view want to travel to that location.  As the conference progressed, there of course was the review of composition and what make a good pictures as well as a good travel picture.  Using example of their own work, the usual topics were covered, Rule of Thirds, Leading Lines, Patterns, Negative space and the Rule of Odds.  This started me to think, I know that a rare these days, but why we are so draw to odd numbers?

 Enter Google. An odd number of objects in a photo, usually 3 as more could make the picture look cluttered, create interest in the photo. Even number of objects create the feeling of symmetry.  If the objects are similar, then the view may be more interested in comparing the two rather than looking at the whole picture.  While in the case of 3 objects, the viewer is allowed to mover around the photo and this can create a more harmonious and visually pleasing composition. 

When composing a photo using the rule of odd, try and put the main subject in the middle of the 3 objects.  Our eyes will naturally look for the middle of the photo and this way you can draw the viewer to the main focus of the picture. To more enhance you photo, you may want to arrange the objects in a triangle or a line. Both of which will add to the impact of our 3 objects. 

So while planning your next adventure, look closer for situations where you can apply the Rule of Odds and experiment.  As Ms. Frizzle always said, Take Chances, Make Mistakes and Get Messy. To quote another cartoon character, TTFN.