The rule of thirds is quite a common and well known part of photographic composition design and although some of you may have already heard the term mentioned, you may not be brave enough to admit that you know of it, but nothing about it.
Well, I hope this will put you in the picture. Pardon the pun!
The Rule of Thirds is one of those tools that can really change the entire perspective of an image. The simple act of altering the position of your main focal point and subordinate points of interest in the frame can create added interest and give a novel professional touch to your photos.
The use of photographic composition rules can also help you win prizes.
The Rule of Thirds is about trying to assume, when you look through the view finder of your camera, or your digital camera screen, that you see an imaginative grid in the shape of a Naughts & Crosses game, with a vertical line 1/3 of the way in from the left and 1/3 in from the right and one horizontal line 1/3 up from the bottom and another 1/3 down from the top. Where these lines intersect near the centre the centre of the frame, is where you arrange to place your focal point. Not in the ‘dead’ centre.
If the photograph you are composing incorporates a wide horizon, a sea scape or desert landscape, for instance, if you have a very interesting sky with a featureless land, grant the sky prominence by allowing it 2/3 of the frame and the land only 1/3. On the other hand, if the sky is plain blue or grey and virtually boring, allow the land 2/3 of the frame and the sky just 1/3. All the time remembering to keep your horizon line level too.
If you are doing a portrait, you can fill the scene with the head and shoulders, but place the eyes or at least the eye nearest the camera, on one of the upper ROT intersections. For example, if the head of the subject, be it person animal or bird, is facing toward your left, place the eye/s on the right upper ROT intersection. This will provide space in the frame for the subject to look into. And as the eyes are the focal point, be sure to concentrate your focus on them. It doesn’t matter if other parts of your subject are out of focus, the eyes are the focal point in any portrait and for them to be placed on one of the ROT intersecting lines can really give your image great impact.
The benefits of using the Rule of Thirds was first discovered by the great classical artists, long before photography was even thought of. It was then know as the Golden Mean and those guys certainly put it to its best potential.
There are many other rules for photographic competition and as with anything else, rules were made to be broken, but it is a good idea to find out about them, practice them and then make up your own mind as to when, how and if you will apply them.
But in photographic competition, if it gets down to the wire, if you have followed the rules correctly, it might just get you over the line.
