Rule of Thirds is one of my favorite rules in photography. This is mainly because I like working in 3’s and I like many things to be a little “off-center” from the middle of an image. Even when using the Rule of Thirds, you can create a more balanced looking picture. The basic principle behind this rule is to break your scene up into 3rd both vertical and horizontal, so you have nine smaller blocks in your image. Then you would basically place the object of your image in the top, bottom, left or right side within the frame to showcase your object.
In the image below, there is a kick ball that is in the top right corner of the page. This image has several rules and elements in play from the rule of thirds to contrast as well. The image with the brick arches aligns the columns in thirds that help showcase the structure of the bricks. The two pictures on the bottom have the subject in the image in the left third and in the right third so you can see the background and the subject in the image.
"Kickball" May 2012, Early Afternoon. Fugi DSLR. No flash.
"Rock Pose", May 2012, Early Afternoon. Fuji DSLR. No-Flash.
"Slave Quarters", May 2012, Early Afternoon (inside). Fuji DSLR. Flash.
"Rock Pose2", May 2014, Late Afternoon. Fuji DSLR. No-Flash.