One of the most well known rules of photography is The Rule of Thirds. This rule is used in all forms of art to explain how to create a visually pleasing image.  The rule of thirds was around in art before photography even existed. This technique can be traced as far back as 1797 and some believe it goes back even further.  It was believed that for a composition to seem more pleasing and interesting, an imaginary grid of nine equal parts should be drawn and the most important information should be placed in the outer thirds and along the four intersections. This is illustrated below.

Do

Place  the main point of interest and other important elements near the intersections of vertical and horizontal lines at 1/3 points of the frame.

Don’t

A simpler explanation of the rule of thirds is, “Don’t put your most important information right in the middle of the shot.”

Try and avoid “floating”parts of your image or not anchoring some point of the information to one of the lines in the frame.  Avoid putting visual information in the 5th square (dead centre).

Questions to ask when thinking about the rule of thirds:

• What are the most important areas of visual information in my shot?
• Where am I going to put those?

The Rule of Thirds: Take it? Or Leave it?

Like most rules, breaking the rule of thirds can be just as satisfactory or interesting as upholding it.  It is best to play around and experiment to find a shot that best suits what you’re aiming to do with the photo and your particular subject matter. Remember, the rule of thirds became a rule because people agreed it just looked good.

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