Composition Lesson 1: The Rule of Thirds

One of the easiest rules of composition, the rule of thirds, is also one of the most universally applicable. (Whenever I talk about ‘rules’ I get uncomfortable and feel like I should remind everyone that these are conventions. Conventions are great most of the time. When they aren’t applicable, they can be effectively reversed or parodied.) Back to the topic…

The rule of thirds states that most subjects can be comfortably composed within a frame by having its most interesting parts fall along imaginary lines that divide the frame into thirds. (Just look at the picture) The four intersections of these thirds show particularly powerful areas of the frame. There are many ways to put this guideline into action but let’s talk about the most straightforward.

Once you’ve identified your subject try to determine what it’s most attractive (attention worthy) traits are. In your viewfinder imagine the lines of the thirds dividing your frame and try to place the most interesting parts of your subject along the lines and especially on their intersecting points.

Here is an alternative approach, using the thirds to divide the frame:

Most of the time when your subject is a person their face is going to be your only real concern. You’ll notice that almost no pictures of people are shot ‘dead-centered’ because it produces a feeling of ambiguity. By instead placing the subject in one of the thirds we get a more dynamic feeling about them, like they’re going somewhere.

This simple rule can transform the way you compose your pictures. Just be careful not to think about it too much. Most teachers stress that this is a good guideline. You don’t get any points for cluttering up all of the thirds in your composition, sometimes leaving them vacant can be just as

important.