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Beginner's Guide to Photographic Composition - Part I
Rule of Thirds
Look at a scene and imagine it with a grid splitting it into thirds both vertically and horizontally. What you end up with is two vertical and two horizontal lines. Note: If you need a visual aid, you can find replacement focus screens for most DSLRs which have the rule of thirds grid etched into them. This is also helpful to keep horizons level and verticals true. Some will have you visualize the rule of thirds by splitting a scene into 9 sections, in 3 rows and columns. I would argue that this is an ineffective method of visualizing the rule of thirds. It's not about the individual sections or what's in them. Rather, the rule of thirds is about a series of lines and the intersections they form, and so there are two ways to make use of the rule of thirds grid: intersections and lines. Intersections: place the subject (could be a person's face or eyes) where two of the lines intersect. Don't take this too literally - the subject does not have to be centered precisely on the point where these lines intersect. Remember: it's just a guide, you will still need to use your judgment for exact positioning. Lines: for landscape work or full-body portraits, you may find the rule of thirds lines themselves to be much more useful than the intersections. Lining up a horizon with the top or bottom line, for example, or a cliff with the left or right line. As you'll start to see later, the rule of thirds will often work well with other principals such as leading space. In fact, many of the principals will work well in tandem with other principals. Until Next Time... There is no magical formula that will guarantee great photographs. Given the subjective nature of any art, it's impossible to nail down exactly what a 'great' image even is. At the end of the day, you have to have an eye for it, and all the guidelines and 'rules' in the world can really only help you further develop your mind's eye. In part two of this series I'll pick up where I left off with leading lines, symmetry, and the golden ratio.
Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: Choose a Subject Page 3: Fill the Frame Page 4: Rule of Thirds, Until Next Time... 
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2 User Comments 1 - Posted by
wdrx02
on February 2, 2009 - 2:31 pm Great write up~ Less def. equal more! Those who are only able to afford or have a point and shoot camera. I suggest trying to apply these "some" of these rules and learn your camera's capabilities and what it offers. For instance, taking a subject with less cluter! 2 - Posted by
tomfeinerg
on August 21, 2009 - 2:50 am Wow, thanks a lot for this guide!!!
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