Rule of Thirds

The Rule of Thirds is a compositional rule of thumb. (you wont always use this rule for all your photos & rules are always broken in art:) BUT, the rule states that an image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines, and that important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections.




The aim is to create a visually compelling photograph, something that captures the attention of the viewer. The rule of thirds can create a photograph that leads the eye of the viewer around and tells a story behind the photograph.


If your viewfinder in your camera has a grid option, use it. This was set up to make using the Rule of Thirds easy. If your camera does not have this option, you’ll have to imagine it.
example - If taking a landscape photo, your image will have the most impact if the horizon is placed close to one of these lines, so that your sky occupies about 1/3 or 2/3 of the picture. This will depend on if you want the focus on the sky, a spectacular sunset – or the land, beautiful country side.

Assignment – Practice taking photos using the Rule of Thirds. Post up to 3 images using this rule. Try using different lines & intersections for your subject to see which creates a more interesting image.

See this link for more info & examples.