The position of your subject matter within a picture is one of the most important decisions you make when composing a digital photo. Whether you can move the subject or objects around, change your position, or wait until everything moves to the right spot, you should constantly be aware of how your subject matter is arranged. Photographers often consciously or unconsciously follow a guideline called the Rule of Thirds. It's simply a way of dividing your picture horizontally and vertically into thirds. The best place to position important subject matter is often at one of the points located one-third of the way from the top, bottom, or sides of the frame.
Placing important objects at imaginary junction points
Follow these steps to compose your pictures effectively using the Rule of Thirds:
1. Divide the frame into thirds horizontally and vertically.
Above all, you want to avoid having your subject matter centered. By imagining the frame in thirds, you automatically begin thinking of those ideal, off-center positions.
2. Try to have important objects, particularly your center of interest, at one of the four intersections of the imaginary lines that divide the picture (see Figure 1).
Following this guideline typically arranges objects in a pleasing way.
3. Avoid having objects at the edge of a picture unless the part that isn't shown isn't important.
If you're taking a picture of a group of people, cropping out part of the building they're standing next to or pruning put half a tree that's not an important part of the composition is okay.
Figure 1: To divide your image into thirds, picture the imaginary lines shown on this image.
When to break the Rule of Thirds
Sometimes, you'll want to break the Rule of Thirds. There are almost as many exceptions to the rule as there are good reasons to apply it, which is why the rule should be considered only a guideline. Think of the Rule of Thirds as a lane marker on a highway. Sometimes you'll want to stay within the markers. Other times, like when you see an obstruction in the road, you'll want to wander outside the lines.
You might want to ignore the Rule of Thirds when:
- Your main subject matter is too large to fit comfortably at one of the imaginary intersection points. You might find that positioning an object at the "correct" location crops it at the top, bottom, or side. Move it a bit to another point in your composition if you need to see the whole thing.
- Centering the image would help illustrate a concept. Perhaps you want to show your subject surrounded on all sides by adversity or a threatening environment. Placing the subject at one of the intersection points implies motion or direction, as if the subject were about to flee the picture entirely. However, putting the center of interest in the very center of the picture gives the subject nowhere to hide.
- You want to show symmetry. Centering a symmetrically oriented subject that's located in a symmetrically oriented background can produce a harmonious, geometric pattern that is pleasing, even if it is a bit static. If the subject itself makes you think of motion, a square image can even boast a bit of "movement," as shown in Figure 2.
Some compositional guidelines
A photo composition creates an entire world for the viewer to explore. You won't want to destroy the illusion by calling attention to the rest of the universe outside the frame. Here's how to orient people and other objects in a picture:
- If your subjects are people, animals, statues, or anything that you think of as having a front end and back end, make sure they are either facing the camera or facing into the frame rather than out of it.
- If objects in the frame are moving or pointed in a particular direction, make sure they are heading into the frame rather than out of it.
- Add extra space in front of any fast-moving object (such as a race car) so that the object has somewhere to go while remaining in the frame.
Figure 2: At left, the main subject is headed out of the frame. At right, she is headed into the frame, even if the ball is on its way out.
