I wanted to do something a bit different this month. For a little over a year now, I’ve been making a Zoom presentation titled, "Beyond the Rule of Thirds, 33 hacks to improve your scores in club competitions" for PSA photo clubs around the country. It’s a 50-minute presentation followed by a Q&A that focuses on how professional judges define award-winning photographs and what they look for in competitions. And Hack #31 is It’s OK to Break the Rules Sometimes. So, I’m using this month’s image to illustrate that this isn’t just an image of a house finch in flight, rather it’s a graphic & emotional statement titled “Breaking the Rules.” I’ve tried to make the negative space a part of the story to amplify the sense of motion as if to say to the viewer, “Come look at me!” You may or may not like it, but I believe it has immediate impact. Besides, DD groups aren’t about being safe??”I think they’re supposed to be creative, a little bold, and, above all, fun.
4 comments posted
Deborah Albert
I like breaking the rules too, like putting my eagle closer to the edge, and I like it here too. I might have given him just a touch more space. Posted: 04/01/2026 16:35:21
Butch Mazzuca
Thanks Deborah - I played with spacing 16 ways from Sunday :-) Posted: 04/01/2026 17:18:08
Jeremy Martin
Poor thing is going to bump his head. I agree it has impact if for no other reason than its not the typical shot you expect. One thing that bothers me a bit is the masking artifacts on right wing. There is some halos around the feathers and between them the sky is much lighter. It really pulls my eye right to that spot. I love the idea though... It makes me want to lie on my back under my birdfeeders and see what kind of unique angles I could get :) Posted: 04/02/2026 12:36:25
Butch Mazzuca
Jeremy - I saw that too but decided to leave it because it's also in the RAW file and I have no idea what caused it
I'm having other issues with both LrC and PS software so thanks for pointing it out Posted: 04/02/2026 13:02:45
