the killers

One of the oldest and well known approaches to composition is the ‘Rule of Thirds‘.

It forms the basis for well balanced and interesting shots drawing the eye into the image.

Its not the only way to take an interesting composition, and I break this rule all the time, but if you would like to get used to basic rules of how to frame your subject – this is a good starting point.

As in the image at the top – you need to break down your shot area into 9 parts. Some people will do this automatically in their heads, some will learn it and others may use guides on their camera screens.

The grid now has four important parts of the image where it could be best to place your subject as you frame your image.

The idea is that if you place points of interest in the intersections or along the lines – your photo becomes more balanced and natural. You can also apply this rule after you have captured a shot by cropping with the grid in mind.

It is surprising how often you will see this rule applied in photography and video. Have a try and see what you can come up with – why not post some online here.