I took this picture of a male Ring-necked Duck at the Dutch Gap Conservation Area specifically for the 365 Project's monthly theme contest. January's theme is "Rule of Thirds."
The Rule of Thirds is a composition technique, described by Photography Mad this way: The rule of thirds involves mentally dividing up your image using 2 horizontal lines and 2 vertical lines...You then position the important elements in your scene along those lines, or at the points where they meet...The idea is that an off-centre composition is more pleasing to the eye and looks more natural than one where the subject is placed right in the middle of the frame. It also encourages you to make creative use of negative space, the empty areas around your subject.
