Understanding The Rule of Thirds: How and When to Use It

Ever wondered why, when taking phone pictures posting on Instagram, you get the two vertical lines and two horizontal lines? Well here’s why it’s useful for us photographers.

Firstly, let’s talk about composition.

Composition is one of the most fundamental topics in photography, and one of the most powerful tools in our storytelling arsenal. To put it simply, it means what the image is made up of. It also refers to where everything is placed within the image.

Having a strong understanding of composition aids us in creating well-structured and appealing images. We can use it to draw the viewers eyes to wherever we want, and we want them on the subject.

What is the Rule Of Thirds?

The rule of thirds is one of the simplest, and thus most commonly used, rules of composition. It actually out-dates photography, originally it referred to paintings. In summary, the rule of thirds tells us:

• Dividing the image along the lines of thirds creates a more balanced image than a split down the middle. E.g. a landscape photo in which the horizon sits on the bottom horizontal third line;

• We should place important objects (e.g. your main subject) on the lines of thirds;

• For bonus points, place objects on the four points where these lines intersect.

Where Should I Use The Rule Of Thirds?

The rule of thirds is especially useful in the following examples:

• Moving subjects. As we can use the rule of thirds to give them “space to move into”. (example below)

• Landscapes. As it helps to balance the heavy landscape itself with the appropriate amount of sky in the frame.

• When there are multiple subjects. We can give them the correct amount of space apart in the image.

However (From personal experience) there seem to be some areas where the rule of thirds doesn’t work as well. Mainly, images where the subject faces straight at the camera, such as some portrait shots. Placing the subject in the centre of the frame often works better for this, helping to create a more symmetrical image. Again, we can still place the eyes of the subject on the top-third-line, still somewhat implementing the rule.

Example

Let’s take a look at a photo I took of my mountain biker friend Sean McGowan (Sean’s also a photographer, check out his Instagram here).

Notice: there’s about equal space either side of him in the frame, he is centred in the image. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with this image. However, let’s take a look at another crop.

Notice now: There is no much more space to the left of the frame. As he is facing to the left of the image, it gives him “space to move into”. This aids in portraying movement in photography.

In fact, it gives the illusion of there being more space overall, while the subject is still just as prevalent in the scene.

This is a simple example of the rule of thirds. Again, let’s take a look using the Rule Of Thirds grid:

It really is that simple. Just by placing the subject along the right-third line, it can completely change the feel of the image.

Let me know if this blog post was useful in the comments. Share it with friends if you found it helpful.

Send me your before and after photos using the rule of thirds through my social media or by email, I’d love to see all your guys’ work!

Most of all, keep shooting!