The importance of applying the rule of thirds in photography

The Rule of Thirds Jim Feldkamp

The so-called rule of thirds is a key facet of any photography lesson, one that’s quite easy to understand and quickly makes your photos more visually appealing. It’s been around since the late 1700s, a principle that guided many visual artists of the time. Hereunder is a brief guide on understanding this compositional technique, particularly in the field of photography.

The idea is to break an image into thirds, both vertically and horizontally. This leads you with an imagined nine frames, which serve as guidelines on where you should be putting subjects of interest in your images. It’s either you place them along the lines or at the intersections between the frames.

The main subject or point of interest is ideally placed at the said intersections between the frames. This is located at the upper or lower left and right intersections of your entire image. The aim is to both naturally guide the viewer’s eye to this element while making the overall picture more pleasing.

It may be hard for the beginner to visualize these lines, but most modern cameras come with grid lines to aid you and better apply the rule of thirds. Of course, once you’ve learned and thoroughly understood the rule, it’s also important to break it at some point and not let it stymie your creativity. Experiment and keep an eye out for instances where it will benefit your photography more by trying something different like centered and more symmetrical shots.