Rule Of Thirds

You have learned that to expose an image properly, you need to know/learn about ISO speed, shutter speed, and the aperture. As you master exposure and compare your shots with those of professionals or even seasoned hobbyists, you soon find out that there is something to their shots that make it look more dramatic. What is that?

The answer is in their composition. There is much that you, we, have to learn about composition. But there's one very important rule; "The Rule Of Thirds". This is not really a "rule" per se but rather a guideline.

So what is the rule of thirds? When you look at your viewfinder, or LCD, imagine that there are 2 vertical lines and 2 horizontal lines that are dividing your view into 3 equal parts. And where the lines meet, is where you need to put the focal point or your subject. It's that simple. Take a look at the image below for an illustration of exactly what I mean.

And that's simply it. When shooting your subject, don't just put your subject dead-center. By doing that, you will only be taking an ordinary snapshot. Instead, position your subject so that it's most important part is positioned on where those lines intersect and you'll soon notice that your images become more dramatic.

Let's look at the image below for example:

In this image, I carefully placed our model's (Kirstie Babor) body on the 3rd portion of the image (the 2nd vertical line from the left). Also, I placed her head or face on the upper right intersection. If the model is the subject, then her face would be the most important part and that is what you need to position on where the imaginary lines intersect.

Here is how the final image looks like:

For starters, this may seem odd and you may be more inclined to put your subject dead-center. Don't. Just practice making pictures by taking into consideration the rule of thirds and you'll soon notice it will become second nature.

What do you think? Use the comments option to share to us what you think, what you want to ask, or if you have something of yours you want to add.