Rule of Thirds

    The ‘Rule of Thirds’ is a principle of photographic composition. This uses a three by three grid to place the object or subject as shown in the picture of the bee.

   In this three by three grid there are four intersections in the lines, as shown in the image below, the photographer would aim to place his subject closer to one outer third than the other meaning it is not central, when used effectively the photographer would analyse their subject and choose four points of interest they would like to focus on or just one or two in particular, they would place their intersections on these points, in the picture below this would be the bee’s eye in the top right intersection.

    The vertical and horizontal lines can be used to place longer subjects and ensure it is in a well framed position. In a landscape shot it is a good idea to place the horizon on the horizontal line as shown below. In the picture of the young boy his eyes are in the top two focus points and set on the top vertical line.

    The idea is to create a well-balanced and natural shot. It can also make the shot more interesting showing more of the environment and enabling the viewer to act more naturally, not drawing the eye straight to the central focus point.

   Studies have shown that viewer’s eyes are naturally drawn to a point of intersection as opposed to the centre of the shot proving that the rule of third can act in a more natural way.

  In post-production editing, the effect can still be created with cropping and re-framing which can change the viewer’s interaction with the image completely.

Examples using the Rule of Thirds

In this image I placed the grid on the bottom right intersection

In this image I have used the top horizontal line to place the grid, as the viewers eyes are drawn to the line they will immediately see the contrast.

The tree is placed on the first left vertical line as this is a long subject and it ensured that it is well framed. The Rule of Thirds has made this shot very natural and this would not be the effect had the tree been central in the frame. The bin is set on the bottom left intersection, the viewers interaction with this image is very interesting as there is a lot to take in with out being immediately drawn to the centre.

The Rule of Thirds in this image has created a very natural shot. The trees are set on the left vertical line and the wooden board near the bottom left intersection. The wall also meets the scenery on the right vertical line and unintentionally the sunlight beams through the trees at the top left intersection. This means the viewer can interact with this image a lot.

In this image the tree is set on the left vertical line with the green building consuming most of the image, creating a very natural shot. This is also supported by the tree being set on the left and not central.

In this image the white parking line is set on the left vertical line and the building on the top right hand intersection.

In this image the rock is placed near to the bottom left intersection, the bolder parts of the gate are set on the left vertical line and the fence meets the grass on the bottom diagonal line. As previously stated, placing a longer subject, such as an horizon or in this case the meeting point of the fence and the grass as it ensures the image is well framed.

In this image the branch is placed on the top right intersection with most of the image being consumed by the tree its self.

In this image the Rule of Three ensures the building is not central, therefore creating a more natural shot.