Press "Enter" to skip to content

What is the Rule of Thirds in Photography?

The Rule of Thirds is a fundamental composition guideline in photography that helps create balanced, dynamic, and visually appealing images.

The good composition for a photography or any other artistic image is arranging subject(s) and background in an interesting way. Placing subject to the center position in the composition is not a good choice most of the times. You can avoid this simple error by placing your subject off center position by the rule of thirds.

Rule of thirds involves dividing the frame into a 3×3 grid (two equally spaced horizontal lines and two equally spaced vertical lines), resulting in nine equal parts. The key idea is to place the most important elements of the scene along these gridlines or at their intersections, known as “points of interest” or “power points.”

Rule of Thirds
Grid and intersecting points in the rule of thirds.

Why the Rule of Thirds Works?

Creates Balance: Placing elements off-center makes the image more dynamic and engaging than centering the subject.

Guides the Viewer’s Eye: The intersections naturally draw the viewer’s attention to the most important parts of the image.

Adds Depth: It encourages you to think about foreground, middle ground, and background, creating a sense of depth.

The rule of thirds is used frequently by photographers, videographers, painters or graphic artists. This rule is a compositional guideline origins go back to classic and Renaissance paintings and architecture. The rule of thirds is one of the fundamental composition principles such as the golden ratio and Fibonacci numbers in the practice of art.


How to Use the Rule of Thirds in Photography?


The rule of thirds divides an image into nine equal imaginary quadrants using two equally distanced and paralel vertical and horizontal lines. The resulting grid and intersecting points shows you where to place elements of interest in the shot. Theoretically you would place your subject(s) and object(s) on one of these points and lines of interest.

Display Grid Overlay: Most cameras and smartphones have a rule-of-thirds grid overlay that you can enable in the settings. Use this to guide your composition.

Place Key Elements: Position the main subject or focal point of your photo along one of the gridlines or at the intersections. For example, in a portrait, align the subject’s eyes with the top horizontal line. If you wanto take a landscape photo, place the horizon along the top or bottom horizontal line, depending on whether the sky or foreground is more interesting.

Balance the Composition: Use the grid to distribute visual weight evenly across the frame. For example, place a tree or a person at one intersection and balance it with another element (e.g., a mountain or a building) on the opposite side.


Examples of the Rule of Thirds in Practice

Landscape Photography: Place the horizon on the top or bottom gridline, depending on whether the sky or the land is more interesting. Position a tree, mountain, or other focal point at one of the intersections.

Portrait Photography: Align the subject’s eyes with the top horizontal line. Place the subject to the left or right of the frame, leaving space in the direction they are looking or moving.

Street Photography: Position a person or object at one of the intersections to create a sense of movement or storytelling.

The rule of thirds is mostly known as a tool for composing landscapes, especially. The horizon is placed on the lines in lower thirds and the mountains is placed off-center, to create a more dynamic composition.

  • Rule of Thirds
  • Rule of Thirds


You Can Break the Rule of Thirds


While the rule of thirds is a great starting point, it’s not a strict rule. This rule is a versatile tool to improve your compositions, but it’s important to experiment and adapt it to suit your creative vision. There are times when breaking it can lead to more creative or impactful compositions. Centering the subject can work well in symmetrical scenes like reflections or architecture. A single subject centered in a vast, empty space can create a powerful, minimalist effect. Sometimes, unconventional compositions can evoke stronger emotions or tell a unique story.End

Be First to Comment

Leave a Reply