You don't need an expensive camera to shoot like a professional photographer. Learn why in my next several posts on photo composition.
There’s only rule in photography - there are no rules. But there
are a number of composition guidelines which can be used to enhance the impact
of a scene. Most guidelines are referred to as rules. I will do the same in my
posts so you have a complete understanding of each of the major “rules” or
guidelines.
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| Using the Rules of Thirds |
These guidelines will help you take more compelling photographs.
They give a natural balance, draw attention to the important parts of the
scene, or lead the viewer's eye through the image.
These guidelines take your photographs from snapshot quality to professional
looking images. I will discuss these guidelines over my next several posts.
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| Using the Rules of Thirds |
Learn the guidelines (rules) and why they
are important, and then learn when to break them. We'll discuss both the rules
and how to look at those rules as guidelines. I'll share each rule in one post.
Once you have the rules down pat, start experimenting with breaking them.
Let's start with the Rule of Thirds. The Rule of Thirds creates well balanced and
interesting shots. Do you always have to use it? No. Rules are made to be
broken and some of the best photographs break this one. But it’s best to know
the whys of photographic composition before breaking them. That way, your photographs
will be deliberate and effective.
The basic principle behind
the Rule of Thirds is to imagine breaking an image down into thirds, vertically
and horizontally, so that you have 9 parts in your image.
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| Rule of Thirds grid |
Some cameras allow you to
set the viewfinder or LCD display into a Rule of Thirds format meaning that when you look through your viewfinder you see the above grid. If yours doesn’t, use your
mind, while looking through your viewfinder, to mentally break your image down
into thirds.
A good technique for landscape shots is to position horizons along one of the horizontal lines as I’ve done with the following shot. My horizon line is where the water meets the land. For added interest I've arranged the mountain peak along the left vertical Rule of Thirds guideline.
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| Using the Rules of Thirds |
Theory is that if you
place points of interest in the intersections or on the grid lines that your photo is more
balanced. This enables the viewer to relate with your photograph
more naturally. Studies show that when viewing images people’s eyes usually go
to one of the intersection points rather than the center of the image. Using
the Rule of Thirds works with this natural way of seeing an image.
Another Rule of Thirds
Example:
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| Using the Rules of Thirds |
In the above image I purposely placed the eyes of my subject between intersecting points. Eyes are a natural point of focus for a portrait. This gentleman's dark sunglasses give him a bit of mystery.
In the shot below I’ve placed
the cowboy along a whole vertical line which means he is off center in the photo. This creates an additional point of interest. Placing him in the
center of the frame may have resulted in a less interesting shot. I deliberately placed him on the left vertical line, rather than the right line, to add impact to the photo. My cowboy is mentally preparing himself for a big rodeo event.
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Using the Rules of Thirds
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Using the Rule of Thirds
comes naturally to some photographers. For some it takes time and practice to
become second nature.
In learning how to use the Rule of Thirds, and then knowing when to break it, the most important questions
to ask yourself are:
- What are the main points
of interest in my photo?
- Where am I placing those
points?
- What am I trying to convey in my photo?
Remember that breaking the
rule can result in striking images. After you learn it and it becomes second
nature experiment with deliberately breaking it to see what you discover. In the photo below, I've centered the daisy. I liked the impact of the yellow in the center of my photo.
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| Breaking the Rule |
Lastly, keep the Rule of Thirds in mind if you edit your photos in your post-production software. During
post production you can use cropping to reframe images so that they fit within the
rules if you feel cropping makes a more pleasing image.
Experiment with some of
your old photos and see what impact editing might have on your photos.
