Rule of Thirds

One of the keys to good composition is to understand how to frame what you see. A tried and true tool is the Rule of Thirds. If you were to divide the picture area into nine equal boxes, and then use the intersecting lines as guides for placing your subject, you’ll find it often creates a stronger composition.

Just take a look at the first image where the cyclist is centered in the image.



Now look at the second image with the rider is further to the left.



If we overlay the grids from the rule of thirds, you can see that the cyclist in the first photograph is in between grid lines. The image is missing something, and that is a sense of balance.



Now look at the second image with grid superimposed, and notice how the cyclist is now close to an intersecting line. The result is that it creates a more balanced image that gives the rider more impact. What’s great is that some cameras have a grid overlay as an option in your display menu, so you can take advantage of this great tip anytime you want.




A great book on this subject is Real World Digital Photography