Looks fine to me..In fact it looks excellent..Nice one Cornelius..R.

This is a lovely image Cornelius. The boat, the beautiful sky and the reflections in the still blue water give it a "happy" and peaceful look.

I think rules are good for most of the time, but sometimes it can be the right thing to break the rules. This, in my humble opinion, is one of them. Love those clouds and sky and also the relections in the still water. Beautiful!

A glorious sky and the reflections are just as captivating. So I can see why you chose the composition you did. Sometimes knowing what works is knowing when to deviate from the norm. Love the contrasts as well. The slick waters and boat let us know it is still calm day. A fantastic day to be out and about.

Sometimes it is more of a crime to follow the rules Cornelius. This would be one of those times. To get rid of any of that sky or water would have been a bad thing. As it is you have quiet the capture. The lone vessel in all of that water seems sort of lonely.

Wow Sir C!! This is a beauty! I love the sky and the wake the boat makes in this otherwise calm surface:)

I would have left it alone, too, Mr. C. This is such a gorgeous image with that beautiful sky and the reflections, that having the boat where it is does not distract from the shot in the least! Beautifully done.

I think you've made a wise decision, Cornelius !
Good photographers make their own decisions ! It is just a matter of freedom in creation, and how you observe things
on your own way
This is a very good example of breaking the rules !
So, "What rules"?

NO RULES

John

Can only agree with you because I would do the same to keep the wide view which shows the amazing sky with its reflections. I have this on my desktop now.. because I really enjoy this scene! Mich

Mr C, your composition is in "thirds" - one of your thirds is simply skinnier than the other two! Great pic!

Cornelius - The image dictates the rules, and in this case, the beautiful sky and its reflections in the water are at the core of the photo - so, the traditional rules don't apply. And, I am glad you chose to ignore the rules for this one! Very well done! Thad

Gorgeous,wonderful composition and the sky and clouds
look beautiful,lovely reflection too!
Great capture Charles.

I don't think the rule of thirds is a hard, fast rule Sea. It is just a guideline. I wonder what the rule was before they came up with the rule of thirds. Probably a shot just like this.
The clouds, sky, water and reflections makes this sailboat look beautiful. Great post.

TicK

(Viewed Full Screen)

Rule of thirds or not. this is a most impressive image, Cornelius. Rules are made to be broken when the occasion demands otherwise. This is a dilemma we all have come up against in our photos. I think you did the right thing. This is the scene. This is what you saw. Beautiful.

I always go by first impressions, so my first impression when I saw the image & then viewed it full screen was "Wow, what amazing clouds in the sky & reflections too. I'm glad you choose to not follow the rule of thirds or crop the image ... it's beautiful as is. The boat brings a pleasant calm to the scene too. Excellent work, Cornelius.

I thought the reflection of the sky in the water was gorgeous. The rule of thirds might be important sometimes but definitely not in this photograph. It's lovely.

What rules.:)Lol..This is a Beautiful and Serene scene,Cornelius.And a Stunning photo.

I tried it in a vertical format...and it worked!

but saying that...looks excellent as it is

In art, rules can be considered as guidelines. They are not unbrakable. In fact many beautiful photos can break 'rules'. This is a beautiful photo just 'as is'! With your great technical quality as usual.

Tanju

Really nice work.
Thanks for sharing.

I like this one so much I have faved it. So crystal clear, sharp, and love those reflections. ♥♥tigs=^..^=

Outstanding capture and scene, love the colours and action of the water behind the boat, plus the reflections

Fine shot Sir C. Love your work.

Rules are made to be broken or so they say. Anyway, what a wonderful way to have done it. Excellent capture with great reflections.

Oh darn! Stephen said it first - rules are made to be broken!

A most splendid and delightful image Cornelius.

You kept this hidden in a shoe box?! This shot deserves to be seen. It is beautiful! The water looks like pure silk! Regardless of whether it sticks to the rules or not it is well worth posting. Fantastic :)

Great shot Cornelius! Okay, it doesn't comply with the rule of thirds. So what? That rule doesn't cover everything. It complies beautifully with the rule of fifths, which in some situations is superior in sensitivity to the rule of thirds, IMHO.

Hi Mr C, thanks for filling us in on your thoughts about this shot. At risk of being stoned by an angry mob, these ratios and angles do feel a bit "square" to me but I fully grasp there is no point eliminating from an image the very elements that motivated you to snap it in the first place. One possible tool to soften the squareness would be the perspective tool, it would allow you to shift the waterline UP the image maybe five or ten percent, with a slight compression of the sky but no loss of detail or content, a similar increase of the water and reflection space and in doing this your image would come closer to the "golden ratio" (Different to thirds) and might benefit compositionally, slightly from that shift. Clearly, from the long list of positive responses above me, most folk see no need for any change to your image at all. :)
Peace.