Composition
The Rule of Thirds
When composing your
images imagine a tic tac toe
board breaking the picture
plane into 9 equal
rectangles.
The rule of thirds is
this imaginary grid
drawn across an
image.
The four points where these lines intersect
are the strongest focal points
The lines themselves are the second
strongest focal points.
The intersecting lines are also called hot spots.
Studies have shown that when viewing
images people’s eyes usually go to one of
the intersection points more naturally than to
the center of the shot – using the rule of
thirds works with this natural way of viewing
an image rather than working against it.
Using The Rule of Thirds generates
compositions that are more engaging
to the viewer than placing your focal
point on dead center.
It also encourages
cropping into the
subject
moving back,
or adding drama.
Experiment with the Rule of Thirds and
avoid dead center as much as possible.
Other means of adding compositional
interest
Contrast and or dramatic lighting
Diagonals lead the eye very quickly
Vary the angle or point of view