Rather than placing your main subject in the middle of the screen,
place it
to one side and ensure something interesting
is in the background that fills the
remainder of the image.
This can be especially effective if the background has the same theme.
For
example, if photographing a child opening a birthday present,
frame them to one
side and have the birthday cake or party with filling the rest of the
image.
There are a few guidelines that can help you place your subject in the frame.
For example, place a subject's eyes where the top line is,
or place your
subject on the place in the image where two of these lines intersect.
It's a very simple rule to follow and will result in a nicely balanced,
easy
on the eye picture.
It also helps get rid of the 'tiny subject and large amount
of space' tendency
because you need to position items relative to the edges of
the frame.
Having said this,
the Rule of Thirds is also one of the rules you'll want to
break often!
This is fine - the Rule of Thirds is more of a guideline
and
sometimes you will find a better image when you break the rule.