« « A Great Photography Tip | Lighting For Studio Photography » »

Rule of Thirds

Monday, June 15th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed

Understanding the Rule of Thirds

Knowledge of the rule of thirds can substantially improve the appeal of your photographic images. Over time it has been noted that artworks that have the main subject, horizon or the point in the picture that you want to feature is positioned using the rule of thirds often results in being more pleasing to the eye.

To get a handle on the rule of thirds just take an A4 piece of paper and draw 2 vertical lines that divide it into equal thirds and then repeat the process with 2 horizontal lines. The result is some thing that appears like a naughts and crosses game.

Now envisage that the piece of paper is the view finder in your camera. The points where they intersect and the lines themselves are the powerful points in an image.

Knowing the rule of thirds will prompt you to access your subject and try to identify what is the most fascinating characteristic that you are endeavouring to capture.

Following are some ideas that may help you apply the rule of thirds:

1. Landscape or seascape try positioning the horizon on the top line or the bottom line in the view finder.Use the bottom line if the sky is the most interesting feature in the image, if the land or sea is the dynamic factor use the top line.

2. Try to position the eyes of a subject near or on the top line ifor a portrait.

3. Position the main feature of your picture on one of the line intersections.

4. When a person is on the beach or out in the open when photographing them try positioning them looking into the image on one of the vertical lines.

Have a look at some of your own images and see if by cropping them using your knowledge of the rule of thirds you can make them more pleasing to the eye.

Finally remember that even though we call it the rule of thirds use it as a guide and when you can find good reason to break the rules don’t let it stand in the way of your natural creativity.

To find more photography tips visit CanvasPrintsOnline.com

Share and Enjoy: