Better Composition Using Rule of Thirds:

For Photograpy and Art

What makes this picture of the Golden Gate Bridge so pleasing to the eye? What does it have in common with this painting from Vangogh or this advetisment?[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"></v:stroke> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"></v:f> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"></v:f> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"></v:f> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"></v:f> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"></v:f> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></v:f> </v:formulas> <v:path o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect"></v:path> <o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t"></o:lock> </v:shapetype><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_3" o:spid="_x0000_i1026" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="Description: portrait-of-dr-gachet-vincent-van-gogh.jpg" style='width:149pt; height:178pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'> <v:imagedata src="file://localhost/Users/halso/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image001.jpg" o:title="portrait-of-dr-gachet-vincent-van-gogh.jpg"></v:imagedata> </v:shape><![endif][if !vml][endif][if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_4" o:spid="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="Description: advertisment_water_hyper4.jpg" style='width:205pt;height:205pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'> <v:imagedata src="file://localhost/Users/halso/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image003.jpg" o:title="advertisment_water_hyper4.jpg"></v:imagedata> </v:shape><![endif][if !vml][endif]

Rule of Thirds

The rule says to divide a frame into three equal parts both vertically and horizontally. Running subjects along these lines is more pleasing to the eye. It is even better to place focus on subjects where the lines meet (green circlers above). Notice how one of the towers above run up one of these lines and stops where they meet as well as the tower in the background coming fairly close to another meeting point.

Why Does This Work?

Your eye wants to roam around and not focus on one thing. When objects are center, your eye tends to only focus there. For instance, below is a picture that has been cropped to bring the house center into the frame.

Notice that the picture on the left puts the house at one of the four meeting points if divided into thirds. The house on the right is center and somehow less interesting.

When painting or taking photographs of a horizen, its better to place the horizen along a rule of third line. Notice where the mountains are at within the Dasani ad. The mountains run along one of the lines; so does the palm tree and water bottle. Look at the logo on the bottle and observe how it is placed at a meeting point. Coincedence? I think not.

Many artists have used this rule long ago, including Vangogh. Look where he places the mans head within this portrait. It could even be agrgued that he purposly ran the mans shoulder across the top line.

The more you look for it, the more you will see how much art and photography use this simple rule.

Some masterpieces don’t follow rule of thirds!

Some great works follow a symmetrical approach and are just as interesting. But I argue that the best symmetrical art or photography can be broken down into the rule of thirds.

Many have talked about the composition of the Mona Lisa and observed all kinds of mathematical layouts within. Here is my opinion on it using again the simplicity of rule of thirds.

Instead of having the subjects run along the line or meet at the points, you can balance a piece by breaking it up into thirds. Forinstance when looking at Mona lisa, notice that her head, chest and hands run down through the center third portion. You can also say that her hair runs down the verticle third lines which breaks it up evenly.

Now lets look at the painting horizontally. If you look closly at the background you can pck out two horizen lines. One of them is the blue horizen meeting the sky along the top line. The other is the red toned land meeting the abrupt dark horizon line along the bottom blue line. Another observation is that the color tone is verall different within each horizontal section. The top being blue; middle, red; and bottom dark toned.

So you see even the best symetrical work can be broken into thirds.

This idea of symetrical balance using rule of thirds is used all the time in magazine covers. In the cover below from left to right we have one third words; one third prtrait; and one third words again. This creates symetry that is broken up nicely into thirds.

Rules are made to be broken!

Rule of thirds is a guide to make your composition more interesting. However, there are exceptions to the rule. What I mean by that is, this rule isn’t the law and sometimes composition of a piece may look better without the rule.