I'm a little confused because you mention thirds and also 4 placements to choose from.
I have mistakenly put gridlines on my viewfinder (haven't figured out how to take them off, but maybe it was fate :))and they create nine equal squares (3x3)...which makes four points where the lines cross. Is this what you mean, Brenda, or am I way off track?
Here's my attempt, still looking frosty out there...
Coneflowers

You are right. There are 4 points where the lines cross. This is where your object could be placed to give more interest to the picture. Trying to describe the rule of thirds was hard, but I am glad to see you understood.

Seeing your coneflower in the bottom left of the picture, then following the path you created using the other coneflowers makes your eye wander through the picture. I like it. This is something else that they talked about in the course I took...to make your eye wander through the picture...giving it a path to follow.

The bottom picture has the grass in the bottom right and I like the way the shadow fills the rest of the picture.

Brenda

Great. Thanks, Brenda.

"...then following the path you created using the other coneflowers makes your eye wander through the picture"

Your lawn mowing pic illustrated that very well. This is a great way to learn...to see others' examples and getting feedback as well.

Hi. I haven't been reading many posts, lately, but I came across this one when I should have been doing work ;-). Just a couple of days ago, I taught a class at school about the rule of thirds. Your photos are great examples, Brenda.

The website, below, shows the imaginary grid and the four intersections.

I need to come back to this forum, more often...

Here is a link that might be useful: Rule of thirds

Looks good xtreme. Good examples too, Brenda.

I did these yesterday for this assignment.

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Now which one or ones look better and why?

Sierra

I think they all look pretty good, actually. But the bottom ones are meant to look better, aren't they?

Is the building a little lopsided, or is that a bit of an illusion?

"But the bottom ones are meant to look better, aren't they?"

In the case of my photos here......it will depend what the photo is used for. It is usually best not to put the main subject in the middle of the photo. However there are times when it will work. Once you learn the rules of composition, you will also learn when they can be broken and still work. This will come with lots of practice.

The first photo...your eye definately lands right on the building, but then you start searching through the photo and wondering what the photo is about. Why did the photographer take this photo? What point are they trying to get across?

The second photo.... has a lot of distracting factors with trees and branches everywhere. Your eye does not really land on the main subject, which is the building. It searches through the photo...looking for the point of the photo.

My third photo...has better composition and could work....but the building is a bit close to the right side. Also the trees on the left compete with the building for the viewers eye. The balance isn't quite right.

My last photo...has much better balance. It shows the surrounding environment and doesn't look like the building will fall out of the photo. When looking at this photo, your eye follows the snow up to the building and then follows the trees through the rest of the photo.

"Is the building a little lopsided, or is that a bit of an illusion?"

These photos were taken at a historic homestead. They are working really hard to keep the buildings the way they were. As you can see they replaced some wood on this building. It looks like it was built on sloping land. Or perhaps it has settled over the years. So yes the building is lopsided. LOL!

Sierra

I liked the first photo and the fourth.

The first... Because it is a close up picture, the cabin was placed in the center of the picture. Actually your eye is drawn first to the open door of the cabin (which is in the bottom left of the picture...rule of thirds) rather than noticing that the cabin is centered in the picture. It makes you want to go into the cabin and see what is inside.

The fourth picture is clearer and crisper than the third picture. The object of the picture, the cabin, is taken more at a distance and is placed in the bottom right corner of the picture. Because it is taken farther away, you feel more like wanting to go exploring in the area around the cabin, rather than going inside the cabin.

Just my thoughts and reasoning behind them...

Brenda

I'm laughing......even when I try to screw up a photo...I can't. LOL!!!! Brenda, you make a good point about the placement of the door. Although I was trying to center the cabin and missed. LOL! The composition still isn't really that great though....but again it does depend what the photo will be used for.

I forgot to sharpen the third photo after resizing it...that is the difference there. Yes these are environment shots. Good eye and good critique!

Sierra

I never picked that out about the door until Brenda mentioned it, but yes it does look inviting and pulls you eye into the cabin.

My picks were #2, even though it wasn't on the thirds I thought the trees 'framed' the cabin nicely and invited you to follow the road to the cabin.

#4 of course, because it followed the rule of thirds it was pleasing to the eye.
But now I like #1, too :)

I felt that I failed the lesson, since I also liked #2 even though I knew I wasn't supposed to. As xtreme gardener mentioned, the road invites you up to the cabin.

First no one has failed this assignment! We are all learning together and hopefully having fun.

What you two are seeing in my second photo is "leading lines". Now that is another assignment...that we will do later on at some point. The leading lines (the path) lead to the cabin/barn and make the photo work. Also the trees on the right, note the 3 dark trunks? The odd number also makes them work well in this photo. For "rule of thirds" though this photo fails.

The composition could have been improved though, if I had walked a little futher to the right and placed the building on the upper left (third) and the path more on a diagonal...to draw the viewers eye in and through the photo.

Great points you two brought up here! Don't let anyone tell you, you are not supposed to like something. Photography is art, and art is subjective. The intent of my second photo was to show that it didn't fit the rule of thirds. You both caught that.....So very well done.

Sierra

Good examples everyone. Here is my effort to share..savona
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Thanks for the explanation on why I liked #2 Sierra. I looked at the pictures over and over, but still chose #2, LOL.
I also wanted to add that I am enjoying the lessons and all the pictures. I had tried to post that right after my original post, but it was rejected; something about 2 posts in a row. It sure would be nice to be able to edit.

I see the rule clearly illustrated in your picture, Savona. It is pleasing to the eye. Marie

An editing button would be nice.....even if just to fix typos.

Nice pic Savona.

Sierra

Is that MY beaver pond, Savona? Looks almost like it!

Wow Marcia..that would be one long lens to take a picture of your beaver pond from here...lol. It is nice to think we can share the same things right across Canada..savona