The composition and the Rule of Thirds: Rules are made to be broken
Composition of the photograph can be a difficult topic to teach others. This is because the composition can be very very personal. What attracts me, can not appeal to you.
However, many photographers, beginners in particular are happy with the way your photos look. But often they can not put your finger on why.
There are lots of rules and guidelines to assist with the composition. Possibly the best known is the rule of thirds. This rule suggests that its membership be divided into a grid of nine parts, by running two horizontal lines (third from the top and third from bottom) and two vertical lines (third from left, third from right). According the standard, large objects (trees, buildings, etc.) should be placed on these lines, and small objects are more effective if they are in the lines intersect.
Photos built around these guidelines have a balanced look. The objects seem to appear exactly where the eye expects to find. So when you build an essay about the rule of thirds, photo viewer meets natural sense of proportion.
Some people have an innate sense of visual balance. They have a natural gift for creative writing need not be guided by the rules. However, if you were to consider your photos, you're sure to find that most your photos perfectly fitted the rule – even if they were not aware of it.
If you are a beginner in photography and still struggling with the composition, Rule of Thirds is an excellent place to start. I recommend all beginners to learn, practice, get familiar with what we start applying it without even thinking. Then, once they are truly comfortable with the rule of thirds – ignore half the time.
Recently a man came into my gallery, and before I greeted him I heard from his friends: "Look, this is a good picture because it follows the rule of thirds. This is a bad photo, because the kangaroo is the right in the middle. This sunset not good because the horizon is very low, when it should be here, one third of its height … "
This man was obviously a devotee of the Rule De los thirds. For him, everything that came out of the limits of the rule was automatically a bad photo. But the composition is really so simplistic? Of course no.
The real world is not as well organized as the rule of thirds. More importantly it means to be creative to find their own way of expressing the character of an individual, which may not always require a traditional approach.
I can give two very simple examples from my own collection. One of my photos Outback has a very detailed plan, and some tall bushes in the background. I have positioned to the right of the horizon through the center of the photo. If I have raised above, would have lost the foreground. If I dropped it lower, the tops of the shrubs that can be cut. In this case, the composition was influenced by circumstances.
The Another example is a photo of the sunset. The sky in this photo is truly spectacular. I dropped the horizon very low so the colors of the sky fill the frame. If the horizon had set up a third of their height, which would represent a third of the image was black. This not only wastes space that did nothing for the photo, also lessen the impact of the sky.
Choosing to ignore the rule of thirds is not the same as not being aware of it. In each case, to take a picture that I would consider the rule of thirds, and judge whether its implementation will do my best picture, or worse. If I choose to ignore it, is a deliberate method of adding impact to the composition, possibly by calling attention to a particular feature, like the sky in my photo sunset.
So, back to my previous statement. If you are struggling with the composition, the rule of thirds can be the best thing that never learn. Not that you should use for each photo (not to) but because you must have the trial to know when to use and when to ignore it. Thus, when you choose to compose the photo differently, not just a stupid mistake, but a creative option for improving the impact of the photo. Once you cross that threshold, your photo is converted into a true expression of their artistic vision.
About the Author
After 20 years as a professional nature photographer, Andrew Goodall has turned his attention to writing and teaching. Thousands of beginners have learned the art and skills of good photography with Andrew’s ebook “Photography In Plain English.” Check it out at http://www.naturesimage.com.au