The Rule of Thirds

The most basic principle of composition is the ‘Rule of Thirds‘.  It is one of the first things that artists learn in their studies, as it is a core principal for well balanced and interesting images, whether viewing paintings or photographs.  The basic premise is to imagine breaking an image into thirds (both horizontally and vertically) so that you have 9 squares, 3 rows wide by 3 rows high.  Some cameras actually have a grid that can be turned on, and for newbees, I would suggest doing this, just so it makes you stop and think about how best to compose your image every time you look through the view finder.  Even some of the small point and shoot cameras also have this option of turning on a grid.

The ‘rule of thirds’ helps identify four important parts of the grid where you should consider placing points of interest, as you frame your image. The theory is that if you place points of interest at the intersections or along the lines, and your image becomes more balanced, and this will enable the viewer to interact with the image more naturally. Studies have shown that when viewing images, people’s eyes usually go to one of the intersection points more naturally than the center.

In addition, keep the 'rule of thirds' in mind as you edit your images.  Post production editing have great tools for cropping and reframing images such that they fit within the rules. In fact the latest version of Photoshop, CS5, has the 'rule of thirds' grid come up automatically when you access the cropping tool.

Taking this one aspect of composition into account, will have a significant impact on your photos looking more professional.  This principal will hold true whether capturing landscapes, wildlife or portraits.  Try it the next time you are out and about, or just shooting your friends and family at Christmas.

Keep searching for the perfect tyme, to capture that killer image!