Today we’re going to look a little closer at the rule of thirds. As mentioned in a previous post, the concept of the rule of thirds has been used by painters, photographers and other artists for centuries. While the underlying principle is quite easy to understand and apply, the rule of thirds is one of the more important aspects of photographic composition, as it can essentially make or break a photo. This is especially true in the case of landscape photography, but certainly works well for photography in general also.

Many novice photographers make the mistake of placing the main focus of their image in the center of the frame when they’re just starting out, generally resulting in a somewhat static composition. However, the rule of thirds states that the major point of interest of any given photograph should instead be positioned on an intersection of the thirds. In other words, if you picture a three by three grid over your photographs when you’re taking them, your focus should ideally be placed where two of those lines intersect.

However, the “rule” of thirds is not really a rule at all, but more of a guideline intended to help you decide where to place certain elements in a scene when you are framing your shot. In fact, the breaking of this rule can often produce incredible results as well, particularly when combined with some of the other principles of photographic composition. With that said though, it’s probably best to stick with the rule until you’re really comfortable with it before you start trying to break it.

The Horizon

Perhaps the most common application of the rule of thirds is the placing of the horizon in an image. For instance, take a look at the photo to the right. As you can see, the horizon is placed on the lower horizontal third line, due to the amount of detail present in the sun and the clouds. If, however, there wasn’t much detail in the sky, we would likely place the horizon on the upper third to allow for more interest to be shown in the rest of the image. Also note that both the rock on the left, and the sun on the right are placed on a vertical third. This creates a sense of balance in the photograph, as each acts as a counterweight to the other, in turn helping to maintain interest.

One of the great perks of digital photography is the fact that you needn’t worry if you don’t quite get the look you’re after when you take a photo, as you can always reapply the rule of thirds when you crop the image later.

So, as I’ve said countless times before, the best way to improve your photographic skills is to simply keep practicing them. Just keep snapping away. And remember, as the great photographer Ansel Adams once said, “You don’t take a photo, you make it.”