Photography Composition Made Easy: Understanding the Rule of Thirds
Introduction
Do you remember the first time you took a photo? Perhaps, like me as a child, someone handed you a camera, showed you how to look through the viewfinder, focus on the subject, click the button, and hey presto, you've got a photo. Soon, you're pointing your camera at anything you find visually appealing. But is placing the subject right in the middle of the frame the best approach?
- Understanding the Rule of Thirds
- Applying the Rule of Thirds in Photography
- Using the Rule of Thirds in Landscape Photography
- Using the Rule of Thirds in Portrait Photography
Understanding the Rule of Thirds
Sometimes it is. Subjects with perfect symmetry often benefit from being centrally placed. However, we all reach a point in our photography journey where we transition from just taking snaps to wanting to create appealing photographs. Or, to put it another way, we start to learn about composition. And one of the very first composition concepts we learn is the rule of thirds.
What is the Rule of Thirds?
The rule of thirds is a composition technique where we position subjects within a frame by dividing it into thirds horizontally and vertically. Almost all cameras and smartphones can display this grid as an overlay in your viewfinder or screen. So how do we use this grid to compose an image?
Applying the Rule of Thirds in Photography
When using the rule of thirds to compose an image, you choose to place your subject either along one of the lines or at the intersection of two lines. This moves your subject away from the centre of the image. By doing this, you direct the viewer's attention to a specific part of the frame—your subject. This guides their eye to the detail of the image that you want to highlight. As a photographer, your role is to guide the viewer to see what you saw, achieved through the use of the rule of thirds.
Using the Rule of Thirds in Landscape Photography
One of the easiest ways to begin with the rule of thirds is in landscape photography. Use the horizontal lines to align the horizon depending on what you would like the viewer to focus on the most. Below are two examples where I've intensified my use of the rule of thirds to highlight different elements.
“I wanted the viewer to see what I saw, I aligned the horizon with the bottom third line, placing the most interesting feature just above this line.”
In this first image of the Hanwell Viaduct, my eye was drawn to the glowing clouds above the bridge. As I wanted the viewer to see what I saw, I aligned the horizon with the bottom third line, placing the most interesting feature just above this line. This created an empty sky in the top third, drawing the viewer's eye up the image and highlighting the sunlit clouds first, before moving on to the additional detail of the viaduct and the field in the foreground.
“To draw attention to the midground, I've intensified my use of the rule of thirds by positioning the top of the shady foreground dunes on the bottom third line”
In the second image of the marina in Portimao, all the focus for the image is in the midground. Because of this, I wanted to draw the viewer's attention down the frame. To draw attention to the midground, I've intensified my use of the rule of thirds by positioning the top of the shady foreground dunes on the bottom third line. This enhances the effect of drawing attention to the area that caught my eye and made me want to take the photo. As we have seen, landscape photography is a great way to get started with the rule of thirds, making your images more appealing to the viewer and guiding them to see what you saw.
Using the Rule of Thirds in Portrait Photography
The rule of thirds can be used for both wide portrait shots and close-ups. In the first example, we can see how the rule of thirds has been used to draw the viewer's eye to the main subject. I have chosen to place them on the right-hand third line. This adds weight to one side of the image, directing the eye to the subject. This is a useful technique for wider portrait shots, as you're able to direct the viewer to the subject you want them to focus on.
“I have chosen to place them on the right-hand third line. This adds weight to one side of the image, directing the eye to the subject.”
The rule of thirds can be taken a step further when composing close-up portraits by incorporating the intersection of both the vertical and horizontal lines to place a subject. In a close-up, the subject will fill the majority of the frame.
In close-up portraits, we aim to capture the essence or perhaps the soul of the subject. It is said that the eyes are the windows to the soul, so it makes sense that we draw the viewer's attention to the subject's eyes. We can achieve this by using the rule of thirds, aligning an eye with the intersection of a horizontal and vertical third line. In the example below, we can see how this works not only for portraits of people but also for other animals. I have positioned Mr. G just off from the bottom right intersection. This draws the viewer's eye to stare into his eye, creating a sense of connection to the subject.
“I have positioned Mr. G just off from the bottom right intersection. This draws the viewer's eye to stare into his eye, creating a sense of connection to the subject.”
Why Does the Rule of Thirds Work?
As we've seen, the rule of thirds is a simple yet effective method to help us compose better images. But why does it work? There aren't many clear answers to this question. However, one study in Thailand found that the rule of thirds makes images appealing only to photography experts, suggesting that perhaps this is only important for other photographers. But we want to make photos that can be enjoyed by lots of different people. So why is the rule of thirds still important?
Conclusion
The rule of thirds is one of the fundamental principles to understand when moving from just taking snaps to crafting composed images. We have seen how aligning horizons and subjects along the lines that separate the frame into thirds can create better, more balanced images that make it easier for the viewer to understand what you are showing them. The rule of thirds is something that all photographers should experiment with when shooting to see how it can improve their compositions.