Use the Rule of Thirds to Improve Your Composition
One of the critical factors in determining if a photograph is interesting or not is how it is composed. The rule of thirds is one of the most fundamental rules of composition, and it's easy to understand and implement into your photography. With practice, using the rule of thirds will produce images that are more appealing to your viewer. It creates an exciting balance between the foreground and the background and adds depth of interest to a frame.
What is the Rule of Thirds?
Composition is how you arrange the subject and objects within your viewfinder. To implement the rule of thirds, divide your frame into nine equal rectangles, just like a tic-tac-toe board. You can do this by creating two vertical lines and two horizontal lines. The four lines will intersect at four points. These are the points where your subject or topic of interest should be. You can do this mentally, or you can look at your camera's menu and select the rule of thirds grid onto the screen.
How to Use the Intersecting Points
When you place your subject at an intersecting point, it draws the viewer to that particular location. Since the subject is no longer in the center of the frame, you automatically create more tension, energy, and interest in the photograph.
For example, the subject in the photo below is on one of the intersections. The composition is much more enjoyable to view compared to just having the subject centered in the frame.
Rule of Thirds in Post-Processing
If you are processing your images in Lightroom or Photoshop, you can crop your images to remove distracting elements.
The rule of thirds grid can help you achieve a stronger crop so that subjects fall on the intersections.
In Lightroom, press "R" on your keyboard to toggle the rule of thirds grid on your image. Clicking on the crop tool will also activate this overlay.
Unfortunately, in Photoshop, there is no such command. You can make your own by using the guides found in View>New Guide.
Conclusion
Always look to add depth and interest to your photographs by using the rule of thirds. It is the most basic rule of composition because it is simple and it works. Practice this by using your camera's Live View grid or adjusting to Grid View in your camera setting. If you want to add this grid to your iPhone camera, go to SETTINGS, Camera, Composition, and turn on GRID.
Here's to making more engaging images!
