The most famous of the so called “rules of photography,” the Rule of Thirds is probably the first thing you will hear about when you begin the learning process. Basically, it relies on how the humans eye perceive a photograph . That’s why, according to the rule, the subject should be placed along imaginary lines indicating the best spots within the photograph.
The reason why this rule is very well known is that it is pretty easy to apply. All you need is just to know how you should frame your subject.
A photograph is divided into a 3×3 grid similar to that of thee famous Tic-tac-toe game. Two lines are used to divide the photograph into three horizontal sections, while two other perpendicular lines divide it into three vertical sections. Thus, we will have four intersection points, each of which is a hot-spot for framing the subjects . These four points along with the lines should be used as guides on which you should align your subjects.
In case of closeups, the subject itself will probably be bigger than the whole frame. As a result, interesting features within the subject should be aligned instead. An interesting example of this case is a closeup portrait where the facial features are the objects that form the composition. Most photographers align the eyes to the first horizontal line from top. This is mainly because eyes are the most important feature of the face, and that by doing so, the rest of the facial features will be well placed inside the photo too.
Landscape photographers use this rule too. If the foreground contains any subjects, they should be placed in compliance with the rule (usually along vertical lines). As for the background, horizons are usually aligned to one of the horizontal lines. Some landscape photos may contain other elements in the background like clouds or mountains. These can also be aligned to the lines of thirds and, if possible, separated in different thirds, producing a well composed photograph.
In photography, it is very important to know exactly when to break the rules. There are some instances where the perfect alignment should be sacrificed for a better overall composition, such as when some important details are missing just outside the frame. In other situations the rule is usually neglected, like when trying to balance reflection with the real subjects inside the frame. Here, the mirror line (the line separating the reflection from the real) is usually aligned at the middle.
The Rule of Thirds is an easy to learn, yet very effective technique. By using it, you will be able to produce photos that are very appealing to the eyes.
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