As you are interested in photography, then you must have heard about the Rule of Thirds. It is based upon the common belief that the eyes first look at the sides of a photograph, not at its center . The rule’s job is to put emphasis on the parts of the photo which will first grab the attention of the eye.
While the Rule of Thirds is very important for composing good photographs, it is also the easiest to understand and apply of all the photography rules. By just putting your subject in the correct position, you will have a photo complying with it.
Imagine that your photograph will be divided into three horizontal and three vertical parts. Two lines are used to divide the photograph into three horizontal sections, while two other perpendicular lines divide it into three vertical sections. Thus, we will have four intersection points, each of which is a hot-spot for framing the subjects . In general, the lines together with the intersection points should be used to align the main subjects of your photos so as to have one that complies with the Rule of Thirds.
Photographing at close range will yield a subject that is too big to be framed as a whole. As a result, interesting features within the subject should be aligned instead. An interesting example of this case is a closeup portrait where the facial features are the objects that form the composition. Most photographers align the eyes to the first horizontal line from top. This is mainly because eyes are the most important feature of the face, and that by doing so, the rest of the facial features will be well placed inside the photo too.
Landscape photographers use this rule too. A lone subject in the foreground (a tree for example) is a perfect candidate to be aligned to one of the vertical lines. Horizons in the background, if any, should be placed along one of the horizontal lines. A landscape scene may contain fields, mountain or clouds. In this case, a more general approach is recommended in which the different parts of the scene are considered as layers to be separated in the different sections (thirds) of the photograph.
In photography, it is very important to know exactly when to break the rules. For instance, if you align everything in perfect compliance with the rule just to discover that an essential part will not be included inside the frame, slightly moving the viewfinder to include all the details will not cause any damages. Another example is when trying to create the mirroring effect using reflections. Here, the mirror line (the line separating the reflection from the real) is usually aligned at the middle.
The Rule of Thirds is an easy to learn, yet very effective technique. When used correctly, it will take your photographs to a whole new level.
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