Rule of Thirds

In my last post, I talked about the importance of framing your photos to draw your attention in. Today I’ll address one of the most recognizable photography rules, the Rule of Thirds. While I’m more likely to bend (err… break) the rules, this one I do try to use. Alright, I also frame my photos. Perhaps I’m not quite the rule-breaker I envision myself to be!

Imagine a grid overlaying your photos with two horizontal lines, and two vertical lines, thus creating a total of nine equal areas. If I’ve lost you, think of a tic-tack-toe board on top of your photo. In the photo below, notice how the grass at the edge of the pond is roughly where the lower horizontal line would be. In general, try to line up the most prominent horizontal area with either the top, or bottom, horizontal line. In this case, I went with the what was in the foreground. (A mountain range would be a good idea to use as a horizontal top line.) Now, you need to do the same for vertical lines. In the case, I used the right edge of the large rock, and the right edge of the tree above it as a guide.

With that in mind, your subject should line up within one of the four intersecting lines. In this case, I used a clump of lily pads, and the clouds above it, for two of the four intersecting lines. While I could have focused on any number of things within the photo, I chose to use the Rule of Thirds as a guide to highlight the entire scene.

Terri Johnson, Owner, Plumb Pixel Photography
The Right Angle Matters

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