Rule of Thirds

1. Rule of Thirds

2. Image Composition Most images from an amateur photographer are centered Artistically there are composition elements, such as lines, points, etc that define an image Photographs work better when the area (or areas) of interest are placed off center. And this is where the rule of thirds comes in Divide your image into 9 sections Place areas along these lines Even if not done in the shot, can be done in editing process later

3. Rule of Thirds Tips In portrait photography place people’s eyes and heads on the horizontal lines depending on how close up you are shooting Use the vertical grid lines for things like trees, waterfalls, buildings, or wider shot of a person with a background behind them In landscape photography use the horizontal grid lines for things like horizons and where water meets land

4. Rule of Thirds Tips Try to get specific focal points onto the corners of that middle square DON’T BE A PERFECTIONIST – Your subjects of interest do not need to be perfectly along these lines, but generally close After mastering this simple technique, BREAK THE RULE Suggestions: Split the frame into only 4 sections and at rare times center

5. Assignment • For this weeks photo session you will focus on using the Rule of Thirds – But you must show how this rule applies by: • A) First taking a shot of your subject centered • B) Then taking another shot of the same subject using the rule of thirds. • Save both images in your S:/YourName/Photosessions/RuleofThirds. Call the centered image “TitleA” and the other image showing the rule of thirds “TitleB”. • You will need 10 image pairs (so 20 photos total) to complete this assignment B A