| Be In The Picture Event Photography . Denise Ackerly 845-566-6985 |
Rule of Thirds
by Tracey Odachowski
The Rule of Thirds is an easy-to-implement principle of composition used in both photography and scrapbooking. Simply put,
the rule states that a canvas can be divided into nine equal parts by drawing two equidistant lines both horizontally and vertically.
(See ‘Rule of Thirds’ figure above.) The eye naturally falls onto the four intersecting points of the lines. Therefore, when
composing a photo or constructing a scrapbook page, the strongest elements or focal photos should be placed at these points
to create better visual interest.
Fig. 1 Fig. 2
Have a look at the photo in Figure 1 above. What do you first notice? Your answer is most likely to be the little girl on the swing
or the sunset horizon. Well, this is no accident. Look at Figure 2 where a rule of thirds grid has been placed on top of the same
image. Notice that the placement of our swinging subject is at the top-right intersection. Also note that the silhouetted horizon
falls along the bottommost line. This is a very important concept when taking landscape photography. Instead of cutting your
photo in half with the visual line of a horizon, place it along the bottom or top third of the photo.
The rule of thirds can also be applied in portrait photography. Look at the picture of my daughter in Figure 3 below. Yes, I know
she’s cute...but what part of her face do you notice first? Now look at Figure 4. Did your answer fall on one of the four
intersects? Most likely, you were first drawn to the subject's eyes. Notice that not only do both her eyes fall on an intersect, they
are also nearly aligned with the top horizontal line. In portrait photography, you can use the vertical and horizontal lines to
emphasize interesting points on a face. Also note that her hand, another important aspect in the theme of this photo, falls in the
bottom right corner of the photo. It is not a main focal point, but you give it emphasis by filling a block with it.
Fig. 3 Fig. 4
Keep in mind that it is okay if your photo is not perfectly composed straight from the camera. If your children are like mine, they
don’t sit still and you're happy to get even one photo taken. Relax. You can always crop your photo later and apply the rule then.
Now take the rule and apply it to a scrapbook page. In the example shown in Figure 5 below, I scrapped the photo of my
daughter. Again, take note of what page elements your eye notices first. Next, look at Figure 6. Notice that the photo is placed
on the bottom right intersect. The title is along the right vertical line. The strip of patterned paper fills the right third of the layout.
All of these elements were placed strategically using the Rule of Thirds.
Fig. 5 Fig. 6
The challenge now is to apply this rule to your own photos and layouts. It may help to construct a template to use when
scrapping. You can do this by drawing the lines on a 12 x 12 or 8½ x 11 transparency. If those aren’t available, try cutting 9
squares that you can lay on top of your page or photos (e.g. 4 x 4" each for a 12 x 12 layout or 2.83 x 3.66” each for an 8½ x 11
layout). And remember, once you know and understand the rule, it’s okay to successfully break it too. Happy creating!
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