WPC: Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds is applied by aligning a subject with the guide lines and their intersection points, placing the horizon on the top or bottom line, or allowing linear features in the image to flow from section to section.

summer rule of thirds

The theory is that if you place the point(s) of interest at the intersections, or along the lines you will have a better balanced image and the viewer will interact more naturally. With the photo above you can see that the main figures in this image are more or less in the bottom left sector and the main interest is in the lower half of the photo. I should have balanced the image though by having the horizon along the upper horizontal line.

Wagonga

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?

Wagonga 2

Sometimes it will be necessary to use cropping and editing to re-frame the image so it fits the rules as I have done with the photo below. I liked the pelican and the jetty posts, but felt that the photo was uninteresting overall.

pelican

To my eye there was too much unnecessary space on the right of the shot. I wanted to balance the pelican in line with the intersection on the right with its head and beak on the upper horizontal line.

Wagonga 3a

So I did a little cropping from the left and right-hand sides to align the pelican and the post and because the background was a little dull I also converted it to black and white and upped the contrast slightly. Hopefully this has resulted in a better balanced and more interesting image.

Wagonga 3

When taking a close-up or macro shot you might also find yourself with a lovely bokeh background, where the out-of-focus parts are aesthetically blurred, but the subject is sharp. Again, think of the rule of thirds as to where you position your subject.

flamingo plant

Rules are of course meant to be broken, but it is worthwhile understanding the ‘rules of thirds’ first so that you understand why you want to break the rule.

lunchThis creative plate of food is more or less centred in my photograph. The reason for this is because I want you to focus on the food, and this composition felt right to me. I often shoot on instinct and although I have the idea of the ‘rules of thirds’ in my head I also consider the subject, the light and how I want to ‘frame’ the image.

I hope you find this useful and if you have any additional information to add then please do so in the comments. I’m not a ‘technical’ photographer so I have explained this in very simplistic terms.

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Heyjude

I have lived in the UK for most of my life, but when young I definitely had wanderlust and even ended up living in South Africa for several years which was a wonderful experience. I now look forward to a long and leisurely retirement doing what I like most - gardening, photography, walking and travelling.

88 thoughts on “WPC: Rule of Thirds”

    1. Sadly the lovely blue sky had gone by the time we got back to the jetty and saw the pelicans. I have better images, but I think this one helped demonstrate the RoT concept best. Glad you like it 🙂

    1. I thought the challenge explanation was misleading. RoT has nothing to do with Bokeh. So I wanted to create a post that hopefully explained the terms more clearly.

    1. Ah, Issy, if only it was perfection! But then what would I do? I have a lot to learn about photography but I am enjoying the journey 🙂

      1. I’m a super novice (only two years) in the photog world. Everyday, I learn a great deal about it. There are many wonderful talented photographers willing to share their talent. I’m proud to say that photography has opened my eyes to see things I normally would have overlooked. My world is visually bigger now. 😍

  7. Great choices, Jude and I’m glad you chose to go with your instincts here. I like your explanations much better than our original directions. 🙂

    1. The original instructions were a bit clouded I think. I have never associated the term Bokeh with anything but the background, whereas the RoT is something to instinctively consider in any photograph.

  9. Jude you’ve explained this brilliantly, I’m sure it will help a good few people. I like the flower of course and Meg on the jetty – such fabulous blues!

    1. Thank you Gilly 🙂
      A shame the blue sky didn’t last, unfortunately it got cloudy by the end of the cruise, hence the dull pelican shot. But a lovely day out with Meg. So many memories.

  10. This is fascinating to me, and very technical, but it makes sense! Thanks Jude. I somehow think that you must apply this rule instinctively. Your pictures are fab.

    1. I certainly don’t consciously think about it, but I do take the time to frame a photo these days. I hope this wasn’t too technical – I don’t use aperture settings or shutter settings manually so can’t explain in that language!

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