The Rule of Thirds



One of the "golden" rules of photography is called the rule of thirds.  If you practice this rule you will end up with better composed photos.  It is really a very simple rule to implement.  Think of your viewfinder as having a tic-tac-toe board superimposed on top of it.  Actually some digital cameras have this as a built in function. (Now you know what those crosses are for when you look at your viewfinder!)  Try to place your subject, or the horizon if it's a landscape shot, where the lines intersect.  Basically this means don't center your subject in the frame. 



Original image with Maggie dead center



If you forget about this when shooting the picture you can always correct it when cropping a photo.  Cropping makes us all appear to be much better photographers.  Memory Manager actually gives you the grid lines for placement when cropping.  If you are working with a closeup of a person try to have the eyes near one of the intersecting points. 





After cropping and applying the rule of thirds

Like all rules this one can be broken and still produce an amazing shot. Try to use the rule of thirds more often and you will see a big improvement in your photos. 





I'm sorry I haven't posted this past week but I was away.  I hope to get back to posting on a more regular schedule.