“I like to photograph anyone before they know what their best angles are.”
— Ellen Von Unwerth
The Rule of Thirds is a type of off-center composition where important elements of a photograph are placed along a 3×3 grid, which equally divides the image into nine parts. For many photographers, this type of composition is a basic way to give structure to photographs and make them more appealing. With the rule of thirds, photographers envision four lines across their photographs, which also creates four intersecting points. The biggest problem with the rule of thirds is that it doesn’t change, even when your subjects do. It simply does not take into account what you are photographing.
HOW TO USE THE RULE OF THIRDS
When framing a photo, imagine the scene divided up as above. Think about what elements of the photo are most important, and try to position them at or near the lines and intersections of the grid. They don't have to be perfectly lined up as long as they're close. You may need to move around to get the best composition. This forces you to think more carefully about the shot, and is a good habit to get into whether you're using the rule of thirds or not. To help you out, some cameras have a setting which overlays a rule of thirds grid onto your photo. This removes all guesswork and helps you get your positioning even more accurate. |
My first shoot on rules of thirds
My second shoot on rules of thirds
My third shoot of rules of thirds
I have used the small lenses to focus on the object to blur the background.