
How to improve your photography with the rule of thirds?
How to improve your photography with the rule of thirds ... According to the rule of thirds, placing your subject along a line or point on this grid will create a more dynamic composition. You have the option to view a rule of thirds grid as an overlay in your DSLR viewfinder, and you can even look for a grid option in the camera settings on ...
Why do photographers use the rule of thirds?
“The Rule of Thirds” is a composition technique used by film makers, artists, and photographers. The purpose of this technique is to give your images more balance by offsetting your subject when framing them through your camera, rather than having them in the center of your image.
Why does the rule of thirds work in photography?
The rule of thirds is a basic principle designed to help photographers achieve balanced, interesting photographs. According to the rule of thirds, you can imagine that your field of view is divided into three sections both vertically and horizontally. This forms an imaginary grid over your image, composed of nine individual boxes:
What is the rule of three in photography?
Why Do We Use the Rule of Thirds in Photography?
- Creating Eye-Pleasing Photo. Instead of creating an eye-catching photo, why not make it eye-pleasing? ...
- Targeting the Eye Focus. According to studies, when one looks at a photo, the focus is not basically on the center. ...
- To Have a Balanced Image. ...
- Attracting the Viewer to the Point of Interest

Why do photographers use rule of third?
Why? Using the rule of thirds draws the viewer's eye into the composition, instead of just glancing at the center. By placing the subject off center, you also embrace more blank space. The rule of thirds is also helpful for highlighting an interesting background.
How do you explain the rule of thirds?
The Rule of Thirds is the process of dividing an image into thirds, using two horizontal and two vertical lines. This imaginary grid yields nine parts with four intersection points. When you position the most important elements of your image at these intersection points, you produce a much more natural image.
What is rule of thirds and why is it important?
The rule of thirds explains that if you place the main subject of your image in the top, bottom, left, or right blocks of the grid, you'll capture a perfect picture every time. The rule gets even simpler than that. To capture a well-balanced photo, all you have to do is avoid keeping the main subject in the center box.
When should you use the rule of thirds in photography?
The rule indicates that you should place key elements of your scene at one or more of these areas in a photo. The rule of thirds suggests placing key elements of your photo at the points where any of the lines intersect.
What is the rule of thirds for beginners?
0:000:33The Rule of Thirds Explained in 30 Seconds #Shorts - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThe rule of thirds explained. In 30 seconds the popular composition tool rule of thirds suggestsMoreThe rule of thirds explained. In 30 seconds the popular composition tool rule of thirds suggests photographers frame their subject.
What is an example of rule of thirds?
Rule of Thirds Example: Landscapes If the focus of your image is on land (i.e. mountains, buildings), the horizon should fall near the upper third and if the focus is the sky (i.e. sunsets, sunrises), the horizon should fall near the lower third.
What is the golden ratio in photography?
approximately 1.618 to 1What is the Golden Ratio in Photography? The golden ratio is a ratio of approximately 1.618 to 1. Artists have used this ratio for centuries to create works of art from paintings to architecture.
Is rule of thirds necessary?
Rules are meant to be broken, and just because you ignore the rule of thirds doesn't mean that your composition is uninteresting or bland or otherwise bad. Despite its name, the rule of thirds is a guideline, not a hard-and-fast rule. You can absolutely create beautiful compositions without using the rule of thirds.
Does rule of thirds apply to portraits?
Rule of thirds implies putting the subject or point of interest into a specific location in the frame. The rule of thirds is one of the compositional rules/guidelines that applies to landscape, street photography, pet photography, and portrait photography.
Why is it called rule of thirds?
The Rule of Thirds posits that a visual composition is most pleasing to the eye when its compositional elements conform to an imaginary set of lines that divide the frame into equal thirds, both horizontally and vertically.
Can we break the rule of thirds?
Break the Rule of Thirds Ignoring the rule could produce a randomly composed image, whereas consciously breaking it usually results in a more considered composition. It's usually best to break the rule dramatically so it doesn't just look like an accident or sloppy composition.
How can you apply Rule of the thirds technique?
The rule of thirds is dividing your frame into nine equal rectangles. You can do this by creating two vertical and two horizontal lines. The four lines will intersect at four points. These are the points where your point of interests should be.
What is the rule of thirds in art?
The rule of thirds dictates that if you divide any composition into thirds, vertically and horizontally, and then place the key elements of your image along these lines or at the junctions of them, the arrangement achieved will be more interesting, pleasing and dynamic.
What is the rule of thirds in design?
The Rule of Thirds is another way to look at the layout of a design (be it a web page, a painting or a photograph). The idea is straightforward; you place a simple grid overlay (divided equally into thirds, both horizontally and vertically) on the space to be used for the design.
How can you apply rule of the third technique?
The rule of thirds is dividing your frame into nine equal rectangles. You can do this by creating two vertical and two horizontal lines. The four lines will intersect at four points. These are the points where your point of interests should be.
Why is it called rule of thirds?
The Rule of Thirds posits that a visual composition is most pleasing to the eye when its compositional elements conform to an imaginary set of lines that divide the frame into equal thirds, both horizontally and vertically.
How to take a rule of thirds picture?
1. Practice with your camera’s rule-of-thirds grid: “Turn it on so you can see what you’re doing as you’re doing it, ” Plicanic suggests. “Eventually, you get a feel for it.”. 2. Take a rule-of-thirds field trip: “Go to a park or somewhere and try to take ten good pictures that follow the rule-of-thirds model,” says wedding photographer Anna ...
What is the rule of thirds in shooting?
It’s called the rule of thirds, but you can think of it as giving you four crosshairs with which to target a shot’s important elements.
What is the rule of thirds?
The rule of thirds is a composition guideline that places your subject in the left or right third of an image, leaving the other two thirds more open. While there are other forms of composition, the rule of thirds generally leads to compelling and well-composed shots .
What is the meaning of "fill the frame"?
Fill the frame: “Filling the frame is really interesting — when there are parts of an image that aren’t necessarily fully in the frame, or when there’s a subject that’s very much in the foreground of the frame ,” art director and photographer Alex Tan says. “I think those are areas where you can really throw the rule of thirds away.
How many zones are there in a rule of thirds grid?
If you imagine dividing a photo, or even your camera’s viewfinder, into nine equal zones using horizontal and vertical lines, that forms your rule-of-thirds grid — a setting you can select on most cameras and even on your phone.
How to take multiple shots?
Take multiple shots: “Take a shot with your subject dead center, take one with them in the upper right, and one with them in the upper left,” Boyd suggests. “Even if you think you got it in the first shot, you should always take two or three more. You can pick which one works better later.”.
Why is repetition important in photography?
Repetition is king when it comes to honing foundational skills. Practice leads to muscle memory and building trust in your eye, which eventually becomes an instinct for what works and what doesn’t in photography.
What is the rule of thirds in photography?
The rule of thirds in photography is a guideline that places the subject in the left or right third of an image, leaving the other two thirds more open. It divides a photo into nine equal parts, split by two equally spaced horizontal and vertical lines. Generally, the rule of thirds leads to compelling and well-composed shots.
Why is it important to use the rule of thirds in photography?
Getting the shot you want with your camera is ideal as it gives you more visual information on the scene. After the shoot is over, you can’t go back and recapture the exact same moment. That’s why preparing for and knowing how to use the rule of thirds in photography effectively is important.
Why do you shoot wider?
Shooting wider and leaving space on either side can make it easier to crop and edit images down to comply with the rule of thirds later. When you have time, try a few different compositions and angles that both abide by and are exceptions to the rule, then pick out the best ones.
What is the rule of thirds?
Generally, the rule of thirds leads to compelling and well-composed shots. Imagine dividing a photo, or even your camera’s viewfinder, into nine equal zones using these horizontal and vertical lines. That forms your rule of thirds grid – a setting you can select on most cameras, and even your phone.
How to shoot a portrait with a third?
On the other hand, when shooting a portrait, you might place the subject’s eyes two-thirds up the image around the left or right intersections and align their nose within the grid.
How to practice the rule of thirds?
Practice makes perfect – as you gain experience, you’ll find you apply the rule of thirds instinctively. Start with a simple landscape or by shooting a still subject like a tree to get a feel for it, before working with moving objects, challenging lighting, and other tricky shots.
What is the best position to shoot a sunset?
For example, when capturing a sunset, you should position the horizon along the top or bottom horizontal gridline.
Where to place the rule of thirds when shooting a sunset?
So when shooting a flower, you would place its stem along the right or left vertical gridline: And when shooting a sunset, you would place the horizon line along the top or bottom horizontal gridline.
Why is the rule of thirds useful?
Now that you know how to follow the rule of thirds, it’s important to understand why it matters and what exactly it can do for your photos.
How many pieces are there in the rule of thirds?
The rule of thirds is a compositional guideline that breaks an image down into thirds (both horizontally and vertically) so you have nine pieces and four gridlines. According to the rule, by positioning key elements along the gridlines, you’ll end up with better compositions. Here is a visualization of the rule of thirds: ...
When to break the rule of thirds?
One of my favorite times to break the rule of thirds is when photographing symmetrical subjects. If you’re photographing a succulent or flower from above, the symmetry looks even more striking when perfectly centered in the frame:
Is the rule of thirds hard and fast?
Despite its name, the rule of thirds is a guideline, not a hard-and-fast rule. You can absolutely create beautiful compositions without using the rule of thirds.
Is the rule of thirds complicated?
As you can see, using the rule of thirds isn’t actually complicated. That’s what makes it so powerful – it’s a simple way to improve your compositions, and it requires literally zero art training or photographic experience. I will say right up front, though: Rules are meant to be broken, and just because you ignore the rule ...
Is the rule of thirds good?
At the same time, the rule of thirds is an excellent way to get started with composition. It consistently produces great results, and even professional photographers use it all the time in their work. Plus, as a wise person once told me: if you intend to break a rule, you should always learn it first.
What is the rule of thirds?
At its most basic, the rule of thirds states that placing the key elements on the “thirds” of a picture is more pleasing to the eye than centering the subject or creating symmetry.
When to break the rule of thirds?
Another great time to “break” the rule of thirds is when leading lines are a main feature in your image or when you’re using elements in the scene to provide a frame within the picture.
What is the most common off center composition technique used in photography?
The rule of thirds is the most common off-center composition technique used in photography.
Which third of the horizon is the rock?
In this classic rule of thirds composition in landscape photography, the horizon is placed on the bottom third and the rocks hit both of the vertical lines. | Credit: Teryani Riggs
What is the eye drawn to in portrait photography?
In portrait photography, the viewer’s eye is almost always drawn to the eyes of the subject first.
Where is the child placed in a photo grid?
Here the child is placed on the final third of the grid so that they’re looking into the photo, not on the first vertical third which would have them looking into the left-hand edge of the photo. | Credit: Teryani Riggs
Where should the subject's eyes be in a picture?
In general, it’s best to put the subject’s eyes in the top third. Also, the subject should be looking into the scene, not into the edge of the image.
What Is the Rule of Thirds in Photography?
The rule of thirds is a well-known artistic guideline, used by photographers, painters, and graphic designers alike.
Why do you use the rule of thirds?
It urges you to position your key elements off-center, so that you create less static compositions, and instead end up with compositions that (generally) include more movement. Remember that the rule of thirds is a guideline, not a true rule, so you should use it when you see fit and discard it at other times.
How many rule of thirds power points per composition?
These are the areas at which the rule of thirds gridlines intersect. So there are four rule of thirds power points per composition. And by putting key compositional elements at the rule of thirds power points, you can create exceptional images.
How many rule of thirds power points are there?
This means that there are four rule of thirds power points. Note that the power points are especially eye-catching spots at which you can position compositional elements. For instance, you might choose to position your main subject at a rule of thirds power point, and your supporting subject at another power point.
Why is the rule of thirds important?
The rule of thirds is popular for one key reason: It creates photos that are well-balanced, without making them seem too static. You see, static images tend to be bad; they keep the viewer in place, and prevent the viewer from really exploring the frame with their eyes.
What happens when you combine leading lines and the rule of thirds?
But when you combine leading lines and the rule of thirds, you get an especially strong image. The leading lines guide the viewer’s eye and create an even more dynamic composition, while the rule of thirds ensures you get a balanced image.
How many squares are there in Rule of Thirds?
Note that the grid is divided into thirds both horizontally and vertically, resulting in nine grid squares.
Why crop a picture to use rule of thirds?
By cropping them, you can easily apply the rule of thirds to existing images. This helps you to reposition the important topics in your picture, shifting them to make it better.
How do you use the rule of thirds?
Let’s use another example to explain further how the rule of thirds helps to create a more immersive image and helps you master composition.
How does the rule of thirds work?
Generally speaking, if you ‘re presented with a scene that has a lot of interesting elements in the foreground, or, conversely, has an uninteresting background, placing the horizon near the uppermost horizontal grid line helps you maximize the view of the interesting foreground elements.
