The document discusses the Rule of Thirds composition technique. It explains that the Rule of Thirds involves imagining a 3x3 grid over the frame and placing subjects or points of interest along the lines or intersections to create a balanced, interesting image. While the Rule of Thirds is a basic principle, rules can be broken effectively if the photographer understands the rule first. The document provides examples and discusses other compositional techniques like balancing elements, using leading lines, and considering viewpoint, framing, cropping, and experimentation.

1. RULE OF THIRDS
PhotographyTechniques

2. Rule of Thirds & Composition
 Perhaps the most well know principle of
photographic composition is the ‘Rule ofThirds‘.
 The “Rule ofThirds” is the basis for well balanced
and interesting shots.
 I will say right up front however that rules are
meant to be broken and ignoring this one doesn’t
mean your images are necessarily unbalanced or
uninteresting. However a wise person once told
me that if you intend to break a rule you should
always learn it first to make sure your breaking of
it is all the more effective!

3. Rule of thirds

4. What is the Rule of Thirds?
 The basic principle
behind the rule of
thirds is to imagine
breaking an image
down into thirds (both
horizontally and
vertically) so that you
have 9 parts. As
follows.

5. What is the Rule of Thirds?
 As you’re taking an image you
would have done this in your
mind through your viewfinder or
in the LCD display that you use
to frame your shot.
 With this grid in mind the ‘rule of
thirds’ now identifies four
important parts of the image
that you should consider placing
points of interest in as you frame
your image.
 Not only this – but it also gives
you four ‘lines’ that are also
useful positions for elements in
your photo.

6.  The theory is that if you place points of interest in
the intersections or along the lines that 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 center of the shot –
using the rule of thirds works with this natural way
of viewing an image rather than working against it.

7.  By placing the
bee to the right
the bees eyes
become the
main focal
point

8. Another Rule of Thirds Example
 A good
technique for
landscape
shots is to
position
horizons
along one of
the
horizontal
lines

9.  On this
image the
horizon is
placed on
the upper
rule of thirds
line.

10.  In learning how to use the rule of thirds (and then to
break it) the most important questions to be asking
of yourself are:
 What are the points of interest in this shot?
 Where am I intentionally placing them?
 Once again – remember that breaking the rule can
result in some striking shots – so once you’ve learnt
it experiment with purposely breaking it to see what
you discover.
 Lastly – keep the rule of thirds in mind as you edit
your photos later on. Post production editing tools
today have good tools for cropping and reframing
images so that they fit within the rules. Experiment
with some of your old shots to see what impact it
might have on your photos.

11. Balancing Elements
 Placing your main
subject off-centre, as
with the rule of thirds,
creates a more
interesting photo, but
it can leave a void in
the scene which can
make it feel empty.
You should balance
the "weight" of your
subject by including
another object of
lesser importance to
fill the space.
Here, the visual "weight" of the road
sign is balanced by the building on
the other side of the shot

12. Leading Lines
 When we look at a photo our eye
is naturally drawn along lines. By
thinking about how you place
lines in your composition, you
can affect the way we view the
image, pulling us into the
picture, towards the subject, or
on a journey "through" the
scene.There are many different
types of line - straight, diagonal,
curvy, zigzag, radial etc - and
each can be used to enhance our
photo's composition.The road in
this photo draws your eye
through the scene

13. Symmetry and 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.

14. Viewpoint
 Before photographing your
subject, take time to think
about where you will shoot it
from. Our viewpoint has a
massive impact on the
composition of our photo,
and as a result it can greatly
affect the message that the
shot conveys. Rather than
just shooting from eye level,
consider photographing from
high above, down at ground
level, from the side, from the
back, from a long way away,
from very close up, and so on.

15. Framing
 The world is full of
objects which make
perfect natural frames,
such as trees, archways
and holes. By placing
these around the edge of
the composition you help
to isolate the main
subject from the outside
world. The result is a
more focused image
which draws your eye
naturally to the main
point of interest.

16. Cropping
 Often a photo will lack impact
because the main subject is
so small it becomes lost
among the clutter of its
surroundings. By cropping
tight around the subject you
eliminate the background
"noise", ensuring the subject
gets the viewer's undivided
attention.
 Cut out all unnecessary
details to keep the viewer's
attention focused on the
subject

17. Experimentation
 With the dawn of the digital
age in photography we no
longer have to worry about
film processing costs or
running out of shots. As a
result, experimenting with
our photos' composition has
become a real possibility; we
can fire off tons of shots and
delete the unwanted ones
later at absolutely no extra
cost.Take advantage of this
fact and experiment with
your composition - you never
know whether an idea will
work until you try it.