The Rule of Thirds
Perhaps the most well known principle of photographic composition is the ‘Rule of Thirds‘.
The “Rule of Thirds” one of the first things that budding digital photographers learn about in classes on photography and rightly so as it is the basis for well balanced and interesting shots.
The basic principle behind the rule of thirds is to imagine breaking an image down into thirds (both horizontally and vertically) so that you have 9 parts.
The “Rule of Thirds” one of the first things that budding digital photographers learn about in classes on photography and rightly so as it is the basis for well balanced and interesting shots.
The basic principle behind the rule of thirds is to imagine breaking an image down into thirds (both horizontally and vertically) so that you have 9 parts.
As you’re taking an image you would have done this in your mind through your viewfinder or in the LCD display that you use to frame your shot.
With this grid in mind, the ‘rule of thirds’ now identifies four important parts of the image that you should consider placing points of interest in as you frame your image.
Not only this – but it also gives you four ‘lines’ that are also useful positions for elements in your photo.
The theory is that if you place points of interest in the intersections or along the lines that your photo becomes more balanced and will enable a viewer of the image to interact with it more naturally. Studies have shown that when viewing images that people’s eyes usually go to one of the intersection points most naturally rather than the center of the shot – using the rule of thirds works with this natural way of viewing an image rather than working against it.
Using the Rule of Thirds comes naturally to some photographers but for many of us takes a little time and practice for it to become second nature.
In learning how to use the rule of thirds (and then to break it) the most important questions to be asking of yourself are:
Keep the rule of thirds in mind as you edit your photos later on. Post production editing tools today have good tools for cropping and reframing images so that they fit within the rules. Experiment with some of your old shots to see what impact it might have on your photos.
With this grid in mind, the ‘rule of thirds’ now identifies four important parts of the image that you should consider placing points of interest in as you frame your image.
Not only this – but it also gives you four ‘lines’ that are also useful positions for elements in your photo.
The theory is that if you place points of interest in the intersections or along the lines that your photo becomes more balanced and will enable a viewer of the image to interact with it more naturally. Studies have shown that when viewing images that people’s eyes usually go to one of the intersection points most naturally rather than the center of the shot – using the rule of thirds works with this natural way of viewing an image rather than working against it.
Using the Rule of Thirds comes naturally to some photographers but for many of us takes a little time and practice for it to become second nature.
In learning how to use the rule of thirds (and then to break it) the most important questions to be asking of yourself are:
- What are the points of interest in this shot?
- Where am I intentionally placing them?
Keep the rule of thirds in mind as you edit your photos later on. Post production editing tools today have good tools for cropping and reframing images so that they fit within the rules. Experiment with some of your old shots to see what impact it might have on your photos.
| 6b._the_rule_of_thirds_pdf_edited.pdf |
Images without Grid Lines
Images With Gridlines
Your Task:
What I am looking for:
- 16 total photos using the rule of thirds (2 examples of each: a person, something tiny, something architectural, an item that exemplifies the Catholic Faith)
- Good composition
- 16 clear (in focus) images
- A final word doc that has the shot identification, the original image sourced from the internet in the 2-3 columns and your improved rule of thirds shot in the 4-5 columns - In total, you will have 5 columns. From Left to Right....Far left tell me what shot this is of, 2nd-3rd column show me your examples from the internet, and 4th-5th place the images you have taken using the cameras.
- 16 total photos using the rule of thirds (2 examples of each: a person, something tiny, something architectural, an item that exemplifies the Catholic Faith)
- Good composition
- 16 clear (in focus) images
- A final word doc that has the shot identification, the original image sourced from the internet in the 2-3 columns and your improved rule of thirds shot in the 4-5 columns - In total, you will have 5 columns. From Left to Right....Far left tell me what shot this is of, 2nd-3rd column show me your examples from the internet, and 4th-5th place the images you have taken using the cameras.
Step 1: Find images online
Use the internet to find two examples of each of the criteria above. Place these images in the middle column and ensure you resize the images so everything fits onto one page.
Step 2: Take your own photos
Now that you have learned about the Rule of Thirds and have your own photos for reference, now you must take your camera and find some items throughout the hallways of CtK that will also meet the criteria! Check out the Examples below for an idea of how to achieve expectations.
Student Example Level 2
Student Example Level 3
On-location Shooting Expectations and Guidelines
Rubric
