1. The Rules of Photography
Unit 57: Photography and Photographic Practice Terminology
P1, P2, M1, M2
Dan Watt

2. Rule of thirds
In the rule of thirds, photos are divided
into thirds with two imaginary lines
vertically and two lines horizontally
making three columns, three rows, and
nine sections in the images. Important
compositional elements and leading lines
are placed on or near the imaginary lines
and where the lines intersect. The theory
is that if you place points of interest in
the intersections or along the lines your
photo becomes more balanced and will
enable a viewer of the image to interact
with it more naturally. Studies have
shown that when viewing images that
people’s eyes usually go to one of the
intersection points most naturally rather
than the centre of the shot.

3. Framing
Framing is a technique used to focus the
viewer’s attention on the subject. It can
also be used as a Repoussoir, to direct
attention back into the scene. It can add
depth to a picture and can add interest
when the frame is thematically related to
the object being framed. A very popular
framing technique is vignetting which is a
reduction of an image's brightness or
saturation at the periphery compared to
the image centre.

4. Leading Lines
One of the tools you can use as a
photographer to create a meaningful
composition is to use leading lines.
Leading lines are used to draw the
viewer’s eye through a photograph. They
are intentional or unintentional, natural
lines created in the space of the
photograph and are used to create a
visual narrative in the composition.
Leading lines are also used to draw your
eye to a focal point in the shot that you
would like to highlight.

5. Balancing Elements
If you place every element of interest in a
photograph on one side you are leaving little
or nothing to look at on the opposite side. This
will be a unbalanced and most likely an
uninteresting image. There are two types of
balance in photography. The first is formal
balance, also called symmetrical balance. It is
when one or more identical or similar subjects
are repeated symmetrical on each sides of a
given point. The formal balance is most often
recognized by subjects that are uniform in
shape. The second type, informal balance or
so called asymmetrical balance is when one or
more dissimilar elements are balancing on
each side of a given point. Informal balance is
less obvious because the subjects are not
uniform. A well made image using informal
balance is more appealing to the viewer
compared to a symmetrical composed image.

6. Symmetry & Patterns
We are surrounded by symmetry and
patterns, both natural and man-made.,
They can make for very eye-catching
compositions, particularly in situations
where they are not expected. Another
great way to use them is to break the
symmetry or pattern in some way,
introducing tension and a focal point to
the scene.

7. Depth of Field
Because photography is a two-
dimensional medium, we have to choose
our composition carefully to conveys the
sense of depth that was present in the
actual scene. You can create depth in a
photo by including objects in the
foreground, middle ground and
background. Another useful composition
technique is overlapping, where you
deliberately partially obscure one object
with another. The human eye naturally
recognises these layers and mentally
separates them out, creating an image
with more depth.