Rule of Thirds
Hopefully, the image above will give you an idea what the "Rule of Thirds" is about before you start reading this short article. This article will be short
because the subject is simple and does not require over-thinking. It requires you to put it into practice, especially if you are of the mind set that your
subjects should always be centered in your photos. It's really rare that you should center a subject. This is central to artistic composition. A well composed
image leads the viewer's eye through it then back. It never takes the viewer out of its borders.
When you center the subject, or subjects - there is no reason to limit an image to one subject unless you just want to - you draw the viewer's eye to that
spot and there is no exploration. Of course, if you are shooting a portrait, that is what you want to do most of the time, but if you are shooting outdoors
as in the image above, you want the viewer to explore the entire image. The idea is to take a journey through the photo and experience some of what it was
like to be there when the photo was taken.
Imagine that your canvas or veiw finder is divided into 9 equally sized sections by drawing two equally spaced horizontal and two equally spaced vertical
lines on it. Many DSLRs have this feature available in the viewfinder's internal screen. Some 35mm cameras had replaceable viewfnder screens with 3 X 3 grids on them.
Try to place elements of the image at the intersections of these lines. Look at how elements in the scene flow and merge. How do the elements compliment
each other?
It's up to you to decide if you think this is a valid way to look at scenes and if you think it works for you. I strongly encourage you to try it. Composition
is critical to creating images that are pleasing to the eye. Practiced for a while, it becomes easier and easier to see the world this way. The Rule of Thirds is
not a novel concept; Artists have used this and the Golden Ratio for centuries. Try it yourself and see if it doesn't improve your images. And, as with most rules,
there are times when this one should be ignored.
Happy Shooting!