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The rule of thirds is one of the long-standing rules of photography. It is a widely accepted aesthetic principle. The basic idea of this is that you get a much more aesthetically pleasing image if you place the subject of your photo a third of the way across the frame instead of in the center of the frame. It is long been the accepted way to create more beautiful photos.
Using the rule of thirds meant that photographers should imagine a grid of nine squares placed over their image and then to look to line up elements along this grid, particularily paying attention to the key places created by the four intersections of the grid lines. The objects and areas of interest might also be laid near one of the lines, (it's a good idea to put the horizon below or above the center, for example)
This was a simple guide for photographers to use mentally when looking through the view finder; they didn't need to try to match up lines in their image to the exact grid. Some photographers have the opinion that using the rule of thirds has made the images as mundane, stifling, and conventional as the earlier photography with the subjects centered in the middle of the picture.
The rule of thirds originates in the golden ratio discovered by the ancient Greeks and called "phi". The way this ratio works is if a line A was divided into two sections B and C where one was larger than the other, the golden ratio is achieved when A/B=B/C, or a ratio of 1.6180339887. The golden ratio is found throughout nature. It underlies many growth patterns throughout nature, form the spiral of a Nautilus shell to the petals of a sunflower to the planets of our solar system. It shows up in so many things that we think of as beautiful. This ratio has been used extensively in architecture, art, and music. Ancient Greek buildings are full of golden ratios, and the ancient Egyptians used it too. Leonardo De Vinci used them all the time.
For the photographer it is difficult to work out exactly where the golden ratio is in the viewfinder so people made it simple and said things look better when the subject is about a third of the way across. That is easier for photographers to work with
When people first discovered the rule of thirds they tended to leave the grid on. Often photographers so rigidly adhered to an obvious grid of nine squares that the content of the images was almost less important. There is nothing wrong with this; it is okay to place the subject of the photo a third of the way across as a matter of routine. If all your photos clearly look like a grid then maybe you need to alter your subject matter or other aspects of the photo's composition
A clearly structured photo with an obvious grid is not in any way bad or amateur. However a photo that doesn't show an obvious grid is not at all less aesthetically pleasing either. It is more important to look for the well-composed picture than it is to look for the grid. When you are just starting out you can use the grid as a useful safety net; but also as a launch pad rather than a law that constrains you. With more experience you will find the rule of thirds in your photos where you never consciously looked for it.
The rule of thirds is an established way to make your photographs look better. This being said, you should use this principle as a launching pad for your creativity rather than as an absolute rule. For beginners, it is a good safety net. With experience, you will find yourself using this principle in an unconscious, intuitive manner anyway. You will be taking very appealing, beautiful photos. Have fun.
Tracy Crowe loves beautiful photos.
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