Rule of Thirds

The Rule of Thirds is one of the many “rules” of photographic composition. This information can be found in many places, but I think the more examples that are available the better.

I’ll try and put together a little article and examples of each of the main rules. The word “rules” should be treated with a pinch of salt, because they are best not treated as rules, but guidelines, or options to consider. If you are out looking for something to shoot, then having in mind the various rules of composition can help give you ideas for images that would work, and the rule of thirds is the simplest and most useful of those. Sometimes, abandoning all the rules works a treat. So - take them all in, and use them when you want, but never feel bad about discarding them and going with your instinct.

Consider the following very simple image (if you hover over it, you should see lines overlaid - if this does not work in your browser, click the image):

This image works very well - and it’s largely due to the power of the rule of thirds. The horizon line sits bang on the lower third line, and the tree is largely confined to the right third, and is crossed by one the lines of intersection.

You’ll note from this image that not all the components fit exactly - the trunk of the tree, for example, is not on one of the vertical lines. You don’t have to be bang on - if your elements are in the general area of either the lines or points of intersection, the effect still works.

When composing a landscape, it’s always worth trying to get the horizon on either the lower or the upper third. If you have an interesting sky, go for the lower third - if the landscape is more interesting, go for the upper. Similarly, if you can get the main subject of your photograph to occupy one of the points of intersection, your picture will be all the more engaging to the viewer.

And why does it “work”? A big question, that. There are many things about the rules of composition that don’t immediately make sense - suffice it to say for now that there are certain patterns and shapes that the human brain is drawn to - and this rule of thirds is a gateway to some of those patterns. The same rules apply in traditional art - you can paint the most beautiful landscape, but it you compose it in a way that doesn’t set off fireworks in the viewer’s brain, you’re missing a trick.