Rule of Thirds

[ron.richardson]

i tend to follow the rule of thirds, but usually not on purpose. it's always been second nature to me.

the one time i do break the "rule" is when i do landscape shots. especially with a shot of trees or mountains reflecting in the water. with something like that i prefer a perfectly level and vertically centered photo. but that's just my preference... if i wanted to put more emphasis on the reflections in the water or the sky, i would move the horizon up or down accordingly.

[lisa nolan]

I think I had the rule of thirds beaten into my brain in my first photo class in school, because I subconsciously line my shots up that way. I have to stop and think (my biggest bad habit right now is just shooting away like mad) to break the rule of thirds. I'm usually happier when I do.

[TxJim]

I think it's a truly natural thing to anyone with creativity in mind. The brain wants to make the shot more interesting so it automatically draws the image away from the center. I think that's what has always subconsciously occurred in my head. It wasn't until school that I found out there was a reason behind it and a name.

[fromBrandon]

I have always used the rule of thirds, but I don't think I've really paid attention to it until recently. I have a background in video and there is the concept of allowing leading in front of the subject so it doesn't look like they are going to run into a wall or anything like that. I think I've always instinctively rememberd that in my photography.

Recently I have thought a lot about it because I have been trying to teach others how to understand it.

I do purposely break it because sometimes the situation calls for it. I think you need to break it with more close up photography more than anything.

[jhawksley]

While not on purpose, I often follow the rule of thirds when first composing a picture. Yet leading lines can serve a more important role. While the human eye naturally focuses to the thirds, it is even more influenced by the flow of lines. For example, a picture of a road leading from the bottom left of the frame to the top right will direct the viewer's eyes in the same manner. Especially in landscape photography, the combination of these two techniques leads to great images.

[beckywithasmile]

I was taught it and afterwards sent out to take photos (photo class). I began looking for shots to line up with that. Now I just look for a shot that seems good to me (I think this has become more instinctive). Although every once in a while it will pop back into my head and I will try to use it more.

[NaturesPixel]

Originally Posted by Learner

Here's a site that explains it in graphic detail. Sorry I don't know how to 'c/p' so here it is: morquefile.com/classroom. If it doesn't work e-mail me and I'll try to do better. Happy shuttering.

Thanks for the info mate its appreciated

and since you have turned off Private messages.. ill post this here

to C/P .. click and drag over what you wanna copy... so it is highlighted.. then you can right click and copy... to paste your info.. right click again where you want to place the text.. and choose Paste

thsi all being that you are using windows.. Mac i dont know

[thedailykimchi]

Originally Posted by Darren Rowse

The first composition rule that I can ever remember being taught back at high school was the Rule of Thirds.

I find that it's become almost instinctive to use it these days but am interested to know what others think about it?

Do you use it?
Do you think about it?
Does it just happen?
Do you ever purposely break it?

I use it, I don't think about it anymore, it just happens. I sometimes break it depending on what I'm shooting.

[Fraggleroxer]

there are no rules in photography. alot of people think that the rules of thirds is apo****e, but i think it is just a guideline.

[wulf]

Working within some self-imposed limitations is a good way to breed creativity. For example, if you are into jazz, compare Kind of Blue from Miles Davis (each track works with some quite strict rules, exploring modal harmony) with the far reaches of free jazz. The chances are that all but the most obtuse are going to prefer the more structured approach - arguably, it's just as free but has some backbone to help it stand up!

I think photography works in the same way - rules like "thirds" give backbone to your composition skills and it is worth exploring them thoroughly. They aren't rules like speed limits, where you stand to get a ticket if you ignore them; they are a useful reinforcement when building personal taste (even if you deliberately choose to bounce off them - for example, taking a series in which the main subject is in the left-hand third of the screen rather than skewered by one of the lines).

Wulf