Part 1 Section 1 - Rules of Thirds
In this series, we're going to dive deep into certain aspects of photography you'll need to understand before you begin your journey of becoming a well-seasoned photographer! Getting a solid foundation of knowledge built before you start the fun processes of photography will allow you to minimize the stress and confusion that will arise if you were to just blindly jump in. Luckily TheLifeWeCapture team is here to alleviate those worries with our mini blog series!
In this portion of the series we're going to cover 6 essential topics for composition. We'll be discussing the Rule of Thirds and how important it is in order to create a visually appealing image. We'll explain how to utilize leading lines so you're able to draw your viewers attention to the appropriate details you're trying to capture. We'll also be going in depth about framing techniques, balances between symmetry and asymmetry, and the importance of foreground, middle ground, and background. At the end of part one of the series you'll understand how to correctly balance your compositions and apply the proper visual weight of all sorts of subjects you're trying to photograph. Let's dig in!
Section 1: Rule of Thirds
So what is "Rule of Thirds" and why is it so important? Simply put, the Rule of Thirds is a fundamental guideline which involves dividing your composition into a 3x3 grid, which will create 9 equal parts. As you can see in the image above we've applied this grid in order to see where each part of the photo is sectioned into. The main goal in the Rule of Thirds is to place the most important elements of your photo along the grid lines, or at the intersections of them.
Note: Quick command in Photoshop to apply lines, ctrl + k (windows) or command + k (mac) and apply settings seen above.
While you're out taking your photos you want to mentally divide the frame into this grid. Focus on the horizontal and vertical lines inside your frame and place the subjects along those mental lines accordingly. You want to avoid placing your main subject in the center of the image. It becomes visually appealing if the main subject is offset onto the grid lines because it will create a more dynamic and engaging composition. Below you'll see an example of a beautiful photo of a bear. Notice how the main subject (the bear) is offset to the right. This allows the viewer to get a better story of the surrounding environment of the photo, yet still keeps the main focus on the subject at hand.
Now what if you're main subject is something huge, like an entire landscape? The best method to use in regards to the Rule of Thirds in this scenario is to align the horizon with either the upper or lower third of the grid lines. Doing this will give you a nice even balance between the sky and ground while keeping your main focus at the forefront in the middle.
Whether your subject is completely still, like in portrait photography, or if it's something like an in flight bird zipping by your frame in a quick motion, you will always want to utilize the Rule of Thirds technique. For portrait photography, you'll want to align the eyes or face with the upper horizontal lines because this will draw the viewers attention to the subjects beautiful features. As for motion captures, you'll want to convey a sense of direction the subject is moving. You can do this by framing the subject along the grid lines.
As you can see in this photo above you can tell which way the eagle is flying. Given realistically you would know just by the way it's facing, but by using the Rule of Thirds the photographer has created a more intriguing story for the viewer to follow along with visually. If the eagle was just centered in the frame you wouldn't be able to have the same depth of feeling you currently feel while looking at the image. This sort of trick is what separates great photography from good photography!
As mentioned above for portrait photography, you want to place the subjects features in the upper third of the grid. This will draw the viewers attention up to the beautiful details you're trying to capture. It puts a tremendous focus on the subjects emotions and story they have hidden behind the look in their eyes. As the photographer you want to do your best to convey this information to your viewership and by using the Rule of Thirds you can do so with ease!
