You move to an SLR system when you feel ready. There's no set time table. Remember, it's not the gear. It's the person using the gear that makes the picture. Some of my best pictures that I'm very fond of (and are hangning on my walls) came from point and shoot cameras. Moving to a DSLR didn't make me a better photographer. It gave me more flexibility. I moved to DSLR as soon as I could afford it. I learned photography on a manual-everything film SLR. Then I made the transition to point and shoot digital back in the late 90s when prices were affordable. DSLRs were still way too expensive for me then.
The rule of thirds is just a guideline. Some pictures it works; others it doesn't. Don't lock yourself into trying to frame every picture into thirds. Once you get a lot of practice under your belt, you'll just be able to frame the picture you really want without worrying about thirds, etc. You'll first see the picture in your head, and then you'll be able to make that happen in the camera. Just go out and take a zillion pictures. The nice thing about digital is you can delete them if you don't like them.
Now, as to your posted picture here...it's a good shot, but I would do a few things to improve it. I think the moth is too close to border. It's not the first thing your eye sees. Also, it's a little out of focus, so you'll have to stop the aperture down a little bit to increase depth of field. I know that opportunity for the original picture is gone, but if something like it arises again, you'll know!
Keep up the good work.
The rule of thirds is just a guideline. Some pictures it works; others it doesn't. Don't lock yourself into trying to frame every picture into thirds. Once you get a lot of practice under your belt, you'll just be able to frame the picture you really want without worrying about thirds, etc. You'll first see the picture in your head, and then you'll be able to make that happen in the camera. Just go out and take a zillion pictures. The nice thing about digital is you can delete them if you don't like them.
Now, as to your posted picture here...it's a good shot, but I would do a few things to improve it. I think the moth is too close to border. It's not the first thing your eye sees. Also, it's a little out of focus, so you'll have to stop the aperture down a little bit to increase depth of field. I know that opportunity for the original picture is gone, but if something like it arises again, you'll know!
Keep up the good work.
