Rule of thirds why is it used

If your goal is for the subject to look big and intimidating, a center placement might be more effective than using the rule of thirds. When your photo tells a story, sometimes a centered or even extreme side placement conveys the story better than the rule of thirds. When the entire scene is interesting, placing the subject up close to the edge or even in a corner is a good way to highlight that.

This composition is one of the trickiest to do and do right, though. The rule of thirds is the most well-known composition guideline. Centered placements are best for showing symmetry, or making the subject appear more confrontational. Looking to sharpen your photography skills? Join our top-rated online photography course today! Shaw Academy has over globally recognised courses across 10 faculties.

Sign up now - the first four weeks are free. Home Blog. What is the rule of thirds? We see a man and a woman playfully enjoying the fall weather and outdoors. There's plenty of emotion and creativity going on in the scene. One last point: the man and woman are not looking at the camera. They are looking off to the side, which makes you wonder what they're seeing. In some ways, you might follow their eyes to see if you can see what's off camera.

This image is a great example of bending the rules. It has great depth of field. It tells a story. And the couple, in an enticing way, isn't looking directly at the camera. All of these result in keeping the viewer engaged with the image. Perfect example of successfully breaking the rules. If you're a rule breaker by nature, have at it! If you're looking to expand your creativity, experiment with the Rules of Thirds and see what you come up with.

Let me know how it goes! Thank you for this discussion about "ROT" :. Do you have a publication that discusses the complete array of options one can use in composition? Actually what you should study is Dynamic Symmetry. It is the golden section system of design. It's the same system that Henri Cartier-Bresson was taught by Andre Lhote and he used throughout his career and applied to all of his photographs.

Thats why his photographs look more like paintings than photographs. It's because he was using the same system of design that master painters used. While most people in photography forums talk about the golden section rectangle, there are actually many golden section rectangles in formal design. Thanks Dave, very insightful. I appreciate the history lesson especially it's good to know the origin of one of the key things in this discipline. Thanks for interesting articles.

Don't know why so many photographers fail to use the 'Rule of Thirds' Keep up the good work. As stated above there are reasons to forgo, and those reasons may be unknown to the viewer. In some places it is acceptable. Hi David, Thanks for your invaluable tips. I have found it necessary to move in two different spheres when it comes to photography especially when it comes to the rule of two thirds.

As a photo journalist for a community newspaper, the concept of two thirds is totally lost on the editors. This frustrates me terribly. Because space in the newspaper is limited, almost all our photos get cropped into oblivion. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.

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These cookies do not store any personal information. Non-necessary Non-necessary. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Are you ready to develop the skills needed to capture beautiful and impactful images? Important elements the shed, and the border between the ground and the trees are positioned along the lines and at the intersections.

Image by Martin Gommel. The idea is that an off-centre composition is more pleasing to the eye and looks more natural than one where the subject is placed right in the middle of the frame. It also encourages you to make creative use of negative space , the empty areas around your subject. When framing a photo, imagine the scene divided up as above.

Think about what elements of the photo are most important, and try to position them at or near the lines and intersections of the grid. They don't have to be perfectly lined up as long as they're close.

The horizon and main subject in this photo have been positioned near lines or intersections for maximum impact. Image by K Praslowicz. You may need to move around to get the best composition.

This forces you to think more carefully about the shot, and is a good habit to get into whether you're using the rule of thirds or not. To help you out, some cameras have a setting which overlays a rule of thirds grid onto your photo. This removes all guesswork and helps you get your positioning even more accurate. The rule of thirds is very versatile and can be used on any subject. Below are some example of it being used effectively in different types of shots. Image by Andreas Wonisch.

In landscape shots, it's common to position the horizon along the centre of the frame, but this can give the photo a "split in two" feel.