Balancing the Image: Rule of Thirds

Last time, we started a new section with the topic of composition. We said that in this new section we will be putting our attention more on what is in front of our camera rather than the camera itself.
We learned last time that composition is responsible for what your image will look like. To compose the image is to arrange the elements you are seeing to balance creativity and harmony. We also mentioned that composition can really make or break your image in a way because bad composition may lead to a plain or disorganized subject.

There are a couple of guide questions that you may ask yourself in order to properly compose an image, since unlike other skills in photography, composition is less technical. We also mentioned last time that apart from a couple of grid lines and guide questions, there are also “rules” that you can use.

This is where our next topic enter the picture. In the history of photography, a lot of rules have already been made to help photographers shoot better. These rules are much like the laws in Physics due to their fundamental importance, although we will also learn that photography rules may be broken.

Today we will be learning one of if not the most well-known in photography: the Rule of Thirds. This rule is a fundamental knowledge that every photographer must be able to understand and grasp until it becomes second nature already.

Popular for a Reason

The Rule of Thirds is one of the most well-known fundamental of photography. This rule is as basic as it gets and its whole point really is to ensure that your subject is placed properly to show of its features creatively.

The Rule of Thirds is popular for a reason and that is because it addresses one of the first mistakes of every photographer: putting the subject dead center. You may be unfamiliar with the term “dead center” but all it really wants to say is that your subject is located in the center so much that it looks too plain already.

Apart from being popular, the Rule of Thirds is also important. We mentioned in the previous articles that a badly composed photo can appear in the form of a boring image with the subject right at the middle of it. The Rule of Thirds solves this specific problem.

If you do not want your photos to look like a full-body mugshot, then you better start reading about the Rule of Thirds more.

The Rule of Thirds

For the sake of today’s discussion, we will refer to the Rule of Thirds as ROT.

First things first, the ROT is called such because when you are applying it, you are putting the subject/s at the third of your frame. If you peek at your viewfinder, you will see that the gridlines are actually there to divide your frame into three parts each horizontally and vertically.

Each of the intersections of the lines you will see in your frame is called a sweet spot. The sweet spot is where you would want to put your subject and that is basically how you apply the Rule of Thirds.

Using the thirds lines or grid lines will actually guide you to compose a balanced shot. With the ROT, your subject will be located in an area of your frame that will allow it to have enough head room and creative rooms to its left and right.

Spacing is very important in photography and it is a concept you have to be at peace with when dealing about composition.  What the ROT allows you to do is to feature your subjects creatively while giving you enough room for minor subjects and other elements to work in.

People, especially photographers who are still in their first steps, usually take the power of ROT for granted. As mentioned, it is a fundamental law in photography that will allow you to compose images with ease.

With mastery of the ROT you will have the ability to just point your camera at a spot, place the subject on a sweet spot of your liking, and take the shot. What you will get after you click your camera is a creatively balanced shot that is not symmetrical in space but visibly more elegant.

To sum it all up…

The Rule of Thirds is not just the most well-known rule in photography but it is also one of the most important ones. ROT is very simple yet the results you will get will certainly elevate your game as a photographer.

In ROT we make use of grid lines which divide your frame into three parts horizontally and vertically thus producing nine (9) boxes side by side. Each point of intersection produced by these thirds lines/ grid lines are what we call sweet spots. These spots are where you would want to place your subjects on.

Now that we have laid out the basic concepts of the Rule of Thirds, we can now proceed to next part which we will be doing in the next lesson. Next article, we will be visualizing the Rule of Thirds to show you how it really works and what results it can produce.

Go ahead and read the next article to continue learning about the Rule of Thirds and do not forget to share these lessons to your peers!