Thirds

Photo by Kristin Savko Photography

Most of us have heard about the "Rule of Thirds" but it always helps to revisit these things from time to time. The basic idea here is to divide your viewfinder into "Thirds" as demonstrated in this photo. You then place your subject on one of the intersecting points or along one of the lines. This helps to create a photo that seems more natural to the way we view the world around us. Had this boy been centered in the photo it may have expressed the fact the the subject found his pumpkins, however using the rule of thirds you understand the gravity of his selections. This rule works well for many subjects such as placing the horizon of a landscape shot along one of the horizontal lines.

Many digital cameras have a setting that allows you to place these grid lines right on your LCD helping you visualize this while you are composing your shot. You also have the option of doing some creative cropping in your editing software if you would like. You might want to take some pictures you already have and see if you can change their effect by cropping them.

So next time you are out with your camera remember the "Rule of Thirds" and see if it helps improve the story you want to tell. Of course once you learn this rule, don't let it rule your life. Rules are made to be broken.