COMPOSITION : RULE OF THIRDS

The rule of thirds is a powerful compositional technique for making photos more interesting and dynamic. It's also perhaps one of the most well known. This article uses examples to demonstrate why the rule works, when it's ok to break the rule, and how to make the most of it to improve your photography.

The rule of thirds states than an image is most pleasing when its subjects or regions are composed along imaginary lines which divide the image into thirds — both vertically and horizontally:

Rule of Thirds Composition		Region Divided Into Thirds

It is actually quite amazing that a rule so seemingly mathematical can be applied to something as varied and subjective as a photograph. But it works, and surprisingly well. The rule of thirds is all about creating the right aesthetic trade-offs. It often creates a sense of balance — without making the image appear too static — and a sense of complexity — without making the image look too busy.

RULE OF THIRDS EXAMPLES

OK, perhaps you can see its usefulness by now — but the previous example was simple and highly geometric. How does the rule of thirds fare with more abstract subjects? See if you can spot the lines in the photo below:

Original Photo	Show Rule of Thirds

Note how the tallest rock formation (a tufa) aligns with the rightmost third of the image, and how the horizon aligns with the topmost third. The darker foreground tufa also aligns with both the bottommost and leftmost thirds of the photo. Even in an apparently abstract photo, there can still be a reasonable amount of order and organization.

Does this mean that you need to worry about perfectly aligning everything with the thirds of an image? Not necessarily — it's just a rough guideline. What's usually most important is that your main subject or region isn't always in the direct middle of the photograph. For landscapes, this usually means having the horizon align with the upper or lower third of the image. For subjects, this usually means photographing them to either side of the photo. This can make landscape compositions much more dynamic, and give subjects a sense of direction.

Off-Center Subjects Can Give a Sense of Direction

In the examples above, the biker was placed more or less along the leftmost third since he was traveling to the right. Similarly, the bird is off-center to give the impression that it can take off to the right at any moment. Off-center composition is a powerful way to convey or imply motion.