Welcome to another Helpful hint with Pinnacle Press. Today we’ll be exploring how to use the “Rule of Thirds”!
At its core, the rule of thirds is a method/guideline that breaks an image down into three sections of even thirds and teaches artists how to position aspects of what they’re attempting to capture so that they’re more compelling. In 1797 John Thomas Smith wrote about the rule of thirds in his book Remarks on Rural Scenery. Smith quotes a slightly earlier work by Sir Joshua Reynolds, in which Reynolds discusses how to achieve a balance of dark and light in a painting. Smith expanded on this principle, and gave us what we now know as “The Rule of Thirds”.
According to the rule, by positioning key elements along the gridlines, you’ll end up with better compositions. Here’s what it looks like
You’ve probably seen this before if you’ve ever held a DSLR Camera, or had a friend that was REALLY into photography on their iPhone. Basically, the goal is to use the gridlines to position objects/people at the intersection of the lines if you want to highlight them.
Although mostly recognizable from photography, it is also extremely useful in the printing world and we use it at Pinnacle Press all the time. Now that we understand the basics, let’s look at different ways we can apply this.
Find The Ideal Focal Point
Think of your grid as a sort of map. Where the lines cross is “where the X marks the spot” and are the ideal points for you to highlight whatever element of the photograph you’re attempting to highlight. Bringing an element closer to one of the “X’s” will make it stand out more, while objects that are not placed on the intersections will not catch as much natural focus.
One thing that’s really cool, is that the human eye tends to follow a capital “F” pattern when we investigate something new (like a new design). We naturally start in the upper left section of the canvas, then migrate toward the bottom left, followed up by the top right and finally the bottom right.
This is key in understanding placement because it allows us to plan for what information we want the audience to become aware of, in what order. For example, we could include the name of your business in the upper left corner, the name of the service you’re providing in the bottom left, and… well.. you get the idea.
How to Use The Rule of Thirds
Taking a Portrait
Want to automatically make your portrait photos feel more engaging? Try lining up the eyes of the person you’re photographing with the intersections on your Rule of Thirds grid. Rather than having your subject centered, this tactic can make a picture feel more engaging, and eye contact more intense.
Landscapes
For landscape pictures, and really any picture with a horizon line, try to decide whether the land or the sky is more interesting. If it’s the land, align the horizon with the top horizontal line of your grid. This places the focus on the bottom section of the photo. If you’re more interested in the sky, say you’re taking a picture of a sunset, align the horizon with the bottom horizontal line to give the sky the feeling of opening up in front of you.
Action Shots
One major mistake many amateur photographers make when taking action shots is compressing the action by putting the subject too close to the edge of the photo – in the direction they’re heading. Instead of this, try leading the subject a bit when you capture the photo and have them positioned on the opposite side of where they’re headed. This gives the subject “somewhere to go” and leaves the picture feeling more engaging!