The rule of thirds

Sehr gut :-)

The rule of thirds is a principle of composition that helps you keep your images dynamic.

It gives you eight elements to work with -- four lines and four intersections. Placing points of interest along the lines or at the intersections tends to create a more interesting composition.

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Comments

J. Woodward | iconoco says:

I like the way you illustrated this, rather then using and vectors and such.
Posted 21 months ago. ( permalink )

Steffe says:

Which I never follow!

--
Seen on your photo stream. (?)
Posted 21 months ago. ( permalink )

made by moxie says:

somebody needs to cross stitch this, stat!
Posted 21 months ago. ( permalink )

artsyfran says:

What a great way to illustrate this. I use it rarely, but you've inspired me to think about it more!
Posted 21 months ago. ( permalink )

★keaggy.com says:

The fun part is learning it well enough to break it!
Posted 21 months ago. ( permalink )

iWally says:

This is awesome, but you've already broken one of the rules - objects in motion need to have space in the frame to move into (e.g., the runner should have space to run into). I frequently break this rule and it affects my images. Expanding on the rule of thirds, you also have the 'S' rule and 'diagonals' which also make images more interesting. Once again, Mr. Gray simplifies a complex subject.
Posted 21 months ago. ( permalink )

dgray_xplane says:

My bad wdkrebs! I agree that my runner needs a little breathing room.
Posted 21 months ago. ( permalink )

jmmcdgll says:

I find this fascinating-I'm going to apply the rule of thirds with my geography classes when they do sketches of landscapes and maps.
Posted 21 months ago. ( permalink )

SoulNoir says:

Break it down. I love the way so do.
Posted 21 months ago. ( permalink )

varohaub says:

This is the one thing I tell my friends about taking photographs. @wdkrebs makes some good points about other ways to think about composition, but just getting people to stop putting everything in the center of the frame goes a *long* way.

I'm going to print this out to hand to them. Though this is one of those things that--however well illustrated it is--people have to experience for themselves. Once they get it, they have to try it and see the hugely different results, or it won't stick.
Posted 21 months ago. ( permalink )

iWally says:

Great point varohaub. The one thing I'm surprised that many people don't know about their digital camera is the focus lock.

Center the subject in the frame that you want to focus on. Depress the shutter release button on the camera a half-press and hold. Many cameras will show a green light or beep when the subject is in focus.

While still half-depressing the shutter release, move the camera left and right, up and down to move the subject out of the center of the frame. When you find the best composition for the subject, depress the shutter the rest of the way to take the shot.

This only works for stationary objects and you want to keep your distance to the subject the same. If shooting moving objects, you'll have to adjust the focus area, use manual focus, or creatively crop the image in post.
Posted 21 months ago. ( permalink )

·e· says:

that is definetely very interesting...
Posted 21 months ago. ( permalink )

beckycaplice says:

Thank you for this concise explanation.
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

Adam_T4 says:

Agree with learning it well enough to break it when needed. Thanks for the excellent illustration.
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

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The rule of thirds

Comments

J. Woodward | iconoco says:

Steffe says:

made by moxie says:

artsyfran says:

★keaggy.com says:

iWally says:

dgray_xplane says:

jmmcdgll says:

SoulNoir says:

varohaub says:

iWally says:

·e· says:

beckycaplice says:

Adam_T4 says:

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