Today’s topic in 40 Photography Experiments is to practice the Rule Of Thirds. If you have not read up on the rule, I suggest you do so here. It’s Election Day in the US so I’ll keep this short and sweet.
Here’s the experiment you can run:
1) You will be choosing five subjects during this experiment to frame in different ways. Set your camera to your favorite program mode. I suggest picking smaller items, like fruit or gerbils.
2) With your first subject, take a picture with it straight in the middle. Then a shot with the subject along one of the meridians for the rule of thirds.
3) Now turn your camera on its side, shooting in a portrait orientation. Take two more photos; one with the object along different meridians.
4) Turn your camera back to landscape orientation one more time and take one final shot on a different meridian.
5) Repeat this process on each of the five objects. If your subject is a person’s face, try placing their eyes (or eye if seen from the side) at the meridians.
Done! With Shooting.
This experiment will seem boring and highly repetitive. And that is part of the point. Think of Daniel in the movie The Karate Kid. Painting that fence. Waxing that car. Over and over.
Repetition will make you a better photographer when you take the time to practice. It’s not simply good enough to repeat taking bad pictures, but to practice looking at light and composition in different ways.
So go ahead and practice during the week. When you come up to a subject, try framing it a number of ways and not just accepting what your brain wants to shoot the first time. This practice will train your brain to constantly be looking for a better angle or a better way of composing.
If you enjoy the series, consider learning photography first-hand on a professionally led international photo tour in Nepal or Bhutan. More information can be found at Far Horizon Photo Tours.
These are answers to a questionnaire I send before each workshop I teach. I ask what each student wants to learn during our time class. Proper composition comes up about a quarter of the time.
I always include a mention of the Rule Of Thirds in my classes because it is so basic and easy and helpful. Before I go further, it is by no means the only rule for composition and, as I mentioned in the start of this 43 day marathon, all rules are made to be broken. Yet, it’s a great tool to help an untrained eye start improving composition.
What is the Rule of Thirds?
The Rule Of Thirds is quite simple, actually. Divide your frame into three equal parts top to bottom and side to side. Place eyes, horizons, divisions in the image, or anything interesting on one of those newly drawn lines. Here’s what it looks like.
In this case, I considered the line between the dark lower clouds and the lighter, closer clouds a division. The thunderheads are a point of interest as well and I was able to fit them both into ‘crosshairs’ where the lines meet, which tends to be a pleasing spot.
Check to see if your camera has a mode where the lines can be drawn on the scene when viewed through the viewfinder. This will help you get used to the look. Many phones will do this as well as mirrorless cameras.
An Example
Take a scene as seen through your viewfinder, in this case a hurried shot of the sun setting behind an acacia tree on the Serengeti in Africa.
I managed to get the sun smack-dab in the middle of the shot. To me it looks mediocre, at best. Now how about framing things differently?
What’s the difference between the two? Let me add the overlay again.
Nothing interesting is going on at those lines or intersections. Heck, I didn’t even center the sun perfectly.
Now we’re getting somewhere.
Shoot for the Eyes
Another thing to look for are eyes. If your subject has eyes, put them on one of the meridians or at the intersections. The way we connect as humans is through our eyes. With animals too. It’s a no-brainer.
Lastly, if there is action, such as something moving through the frame, put it on one of the meridians and give it some place to go in the frame. Such as:
The Rule Of Thirds is a handy place to start when trying to figure out how to frame a scene. It’s also a great jumping off place for further experimentation. It take practice to get this rule down pat, so get out there and get shooting!
If you enjoy the series, consider learning photography first-hand on a professionally led international photo tour in Nepal or Bhutan. More information can be found at Far Horizon Photo Tours.
Welcome back! If you missed Day 1 and the one law you can’t break, you can find that post here.
Now that we have the law out of the way, let’s look at the rules.
Photography is a subjective art. There’s no real right or wrong way to do it, but if you want to get consistent results and learn, it’s helpful to follow some rules. Once you learn those rules and how and when to apply them, you can choose to ignore them as you experiment.
That’s the wonderful thing about digital photography; you have a near endless supply of “film” with which to play. So take the time to learn these rules as we go through the lessons, but don’t forget, you’re welcome to break them once you understand them.
1. The Rule of Thirds
In this series you will learn about the Rule of Thirds. Take the time to learn it well enough that you can apply it when the situation is right. It’s a helpful tool if you haven’t studied art or photography in the past and it will jumpstart your composition skills.
Then ignore it at will. Because the Rule of Thirds is great at producing pleasing compositions or portraits, landscapes, architecture, etc… But you won’t always want pleasing or balanced or perfect symmetry. Sometimes you’ll want to challenge your viewers or highlight some other aspect of a scene.
2. Fill the Frame
Some photographers will tell you to fill the frame with your subject. It’s a reliable technique for helping viewers focus on what’s important, just like the Rule of Thirds.
Here’s an example of a filled frame.
Now take a step back.
And a few more steps back.
It helps put the subject in context and is important in certain photography, like wildlife or environmental portraits.
3. 1/Focal Length
1/Focal Length is a simple trick to help you deliver non-blurry photos. And it’s helpful for sure.
The times when it comes in handy to ignore this rule are when you don’t have enough light (so should you not shoot at all?), when you want to induce some blur or when you’re getting creative with abstracts.
We’ll learn more about this rule on Day 10, so just hold tight.
4. Your Photos Need to be Tack-Sharp
Hand-in-hand with the last rule is one stating your photos need to be tack-sharp. In other words, some people freak out of if there is one thing in your photo that is a slight bit blurry.
Ignore those people. While, generally speaking, you will want your images to be in focus and sharp, it’s not alway advised.
Sometimes you might want to highlight movement, like this:
Or you might be capturing a fleeting moment, as in this image:
5. Never Center Your Subject
Art is subjective. Have I mentioned that?
It really is and as you start to develop your own style you might find you fall in love with certain ratios. But for some, we love our subject front and center.
The Rule of Thirds says this is a big no no. As do a bunch of other ratios (Golden Ratio/Fibonacci Spiral being another favorite you should take the time to learn). Sometimes breaking these rules can produce halting results.
6. Separate Your Subject From the Background
Sure, this rule is helpful in portrait work when you want your subject to stand out. But what about when you want a subject to blend in? Or what about when your subject can’t be separated from the background?
It’s a fine rule. Once you learn to do it well you can mix it up and keep your viewer off balance. Like this.
While viewers like to be led into the frame, our mind does not like being led off the frame into the abyss. Who knows what’s outside of the frame! Probably dragons.
It also doesn’t like things close to the edge. But so? Maybe you’re in an off-the-edge kind of mood one day while shooting!
8. How to Hold Your Camera
This is a hard one for me to admit because I have been dogmatic about this rule for far too long. It’s hard to come to grips with it, but I was wrong all those years.
In my workshops and individual instruction I profess the “best” way to hold a camera. Heck, I even go over it in this series on day 8. But I’ve learned it’s not the only way.
If you want to hold your camera like every extra paparazzi in every movie, that’s just fine. Hand on the side, the top, two fingers only, press the shutter release with your middle finger…. go ahead.
I will be happy to show you a comfortable way to hold your camera and if it doesn’t work for you, try your own. As long as you’re comfortable and getting the shots you want, go for it.
9. Always Shoot With The Sun at Your Back
Special thanks to my friend Greg for suggesting this rule on my Facebook page.
This one is just silly. I have been told a number of times, while around other photographers at a popular spot, to line up the sun so it is at my back. Don’t shoot toward the sun or with angled sun. This just seems like crazy, limiting advice.
Here are some examples of the sun not being at my back.
The Grand Canyon as seen from the South Rim – Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USAA happy looking Golden Retriever dog is frozen in midair as he runs toward the camera in a suburban backyard.View of mountains in fog – USA – CaliforniaA Man Stands Before The Taj Mahal As The Sun Comes Up Behind It, Agra, India, Asia
Wrapping It Up
Undoubtedly there will be readers who comment that any one of the examples I posted here does not work for X, Y and Z reasons. They might even go beyond the English alphabet and start using emojis. Just remember; If the photo works for you, it works.
History is littered with great artists who both followed the rules and those who broke them. There’s no one right way to photograph a scene. Anyone who tells you otherwise is likely trying to sell you something.
Learn the rules. Know the rules. Then start developing your own style that might break a few. Keep at it and sooner or later you’ll find someone else who connects with your images. That’s the joy of photography; Communicating the scene in front of you in a way that helps your viewer connect with it too. Rules be damned.
If you enjoy the series, consider learning photography first-hand on a professionally led international photo tour in Nepal or Bhutan. More information can be found at Far Horizon Photo Tours.
Today’s topic in 40 Photography Experiments is to practice the Rule Of Thirds. If you have not read up on the rule, I suggest you do so here. It’s Election Day in the US so I’ll keep this short and sweet.
Photography Basics – A 43 Day Adventure, and its companion 40 Photography Experiments, are series written by professional photographer Peter West Carey. The series are designed to unravel the mysteries of photography, helping you can take better pictures. Subscribe here to receive all the updates and bonus material. Your comments are always welcome.
If you enjoy the series, consider learning photography first-hand on a professionally led international photo tour in Nepal or Bhutan. More information can be found at Far Horizon Photo Tours. 
