There’s luckily an antidote for this problem, imagine your image is divided into nine equal parts by two equally spaced horizontal lines and two equally spaced vertical lines. You have now created four intersections called “power points” from these four lines. Placing the subject of interest on the as well as along the imaginary lines creates more tension, energy and interest in the composition than simply centering the subject would.

Oxeye Daisy With a Rule of Thirds Grid

Here’s an example where the Oxeye Daisy in focus (subject of interest) is not centered in the frame.

The Daisy is placed more to the left than it should according to the “rule of thirds”

But the key point with this rule is just to help you take more interesting and dynamic photos and not to follow it inflexibly.

If you always place the subject of interest along these lines and points your photos will become predictable and in the end… boring. Exactly what you wanted to avoid in the first place.

Try instead to divide the frame into 16 equal parts or why not 20 equal parts. Never use the “rule of thirds” inflexibly.