This series of news articles is intended to help the novice digital photographer who wants to learn more. The aim is to explain key terms and introduce new ideas to help you, as a novice, explore the world of digital photography.

The Rule of Thirds.. when to use it and how to break it!

A lot of the great photographic work presented here on dA is done with consideration to a few basic rules and guidelines in photography, whether we know it or not (not specific only to digital photographers though). One such guideline most people should know about is the Rule of Thirds. It’s a simple rule that can add an edge to your photo, making it more than just your average image or snap shot.

Consider this..

Before we go into the Rule of Thirds though, I want to encourage every photographer to think about their work more closely. Do you consider the outcome before you point and shoot your camera (or at least as much as you can)? It’s not hard to do, and you’ll notice the difference in your photos!

For instance, do you think about where the light is coming from for your subject? Could you turn the subject around and have the light coming from a different direction in order to enhance features? Have you ever thought about how you’ll present the photo afterward, will you leave it in colour or maybe enhance the image digitally, or perhaps even present it in black and white?

Do you normally consider where in the image the main subject will sit? If you consider placing the main subject of your photo to one side of the image, rather than in the centre you’ve then got the freedom to put something interesting in the background that fills the remainder of the image!

These are all important things to consider when you have your camera in hand, and it’s often better to slow down and think and plan first, then it is to take hundreds of photos which you’re not happy with.

So, one really great guideline to help you plan ahead is the Rule of Thirds. It’s one of THE golden rules in photography that will help you place your subject correctly in the frame.

The Rule of Thirds?

The rule is pretty simple actually, just divide the image into thirds both horizontally and vertically (imagine the lines through your viewfinder) or even grab one of your older photos and draw some lines on it. There’s a great example of this also on wikki. When planning and composing your photo, try to place important elements either along these lines, or where the lines intersect – rather than at the centre of the frame.

For example, place a subject's eyes where the top line is, or place your subject where two of these lines intersect. Alternatively, if you want something quite eye catching and you have a single subject, like a child or an object, try placing them to one side; filling the other half with something of interest or leaving it empty with vivid colours or the pattern of the wall.

Most often, examples of this rule can be found in nature photography. Part or all of the sky may be placed in the upper third of an image; or the fence in the foreground or grass might consume the bottom third of the photo. Sunset images for example, with vivid displays of colour, highlight the Rule of Thirds really well!

Some great examples of the Rule of Thirds at work in Photography here on dA:










It's a very simple rule to follow and will result in a nicely balanced, easy on the eye photo, which most people can’t help but stare at! It also helps get rid of the problems with “small subject and large waste of space” because you need to position items relative to the edges of the frame. Go on, give it a go and you’ll see what I mean!

Rules were made to be broken!

Having said all this though, you should also know that some rules were made to be broken, and the Rule of Thirds is one of those rules! Remember, we’re artists and we like to try different things, and that’s ok! The Rule of Thirds is more of a guideline anyway (if I had a pirate voice, imagine I sounded gruff then!) and sometimes you’ll plan something only to find it looks better when you break the rule.

Now that you know about the Rule of Thirds, the key is knowing when to break it. You’ll get there through experience, feeling the mood of the photo or subject, working with colour and balance and trying new things. Remember that some of the greatest discoveries ever made were done so by accident.

So, to encourage you to break the rules (and I mean that in photographic terms only), here’s some outstanding work which throws caution to the wind, and the Rule of Thirds out the window!













Future Editions:
Lighting and Flash
Optical vs Digital Zoom
Lenses and Filters
Special Photography Secrets
Macro special…

Previous Editions
EDP Edition #1
EDP Edition #2
EDP Edition #3

Thanks for reading. Feel free to send a note if you've got a suggestion for future editions of EDP!

Cheers,
Cath