How to Use the Rule of Thirds in Photography
The rule of thirds is a basic rule or guideline which is used by most professionals when they are looking to compose visual images. This guideline suggests that each picture is divided into nine parts. There are two equally spaced horizontal and vertical lines, and these lines and parts are used to help capture the perfect image.
The Rule of thirds technically helps make the picture you take look appealing and eye catching, which is what separates a good picture from a bad one.
However, the rule of thirds is not a very easy technique to use and requires some practice.
Instructions
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1
The first thing you need to do is to imagine a tic-tac-toe grid on the lens of your camera. The vertical lines that you imagine will create a left middle and right portion. On the other hand, the horizontal lines will create a top middle and bottom as well. Each one of these portions will be a third. These lines will also be intersecting at four points in the middle.
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2
Once you have gone on to stretch your imagination and created this grid, the next step for you is to take into account all of the scenery that you will be putting into your picture. You can’t only go ahead and identify the main subject of your picture. Instead, you need to take into account the sky, the grass, the trees and any other thing that is going to be potentially in the background.
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3
Now you want to try and position your camera in a manner so that most of the objects lay on the lines which you have created inside your head. Also look to try and get as many of them on the four intersection points.
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4
The main subject of the picture should be off center from the top line, while it should be at one of the two points of intersection on top.
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The rest of the picture should be filled with objects which compliment the main subject which you photographed.
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The only way for you to get good at using the rule of thirds, is if you go on and take a lot of pictures and practice it while doing so. There is no way for you to learn it over night, since it requires some time to get used to.
