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rule of thirds

What is the rule of thirds in photography?

Jun 6, 2023 by Daniela Bowker Add Comment
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The rule of thirds is probably the best-known compositional rule in photography. At a guess, it’s the first compositional rule beginners learn. It is straightforward to use, but that doesn’t stop it being effective. In this explainer, we’ll be looking at what the rule of thirds actually is, why it works, how you can use it, and when it’s actually a good idea to break the rule.

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Holy crop! Don’t forget these golden rules when cutting your images

Mar 3, 2022 by Alex Baker Add Comment
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It’s one of those basic things that we probably over-use when we are starting out, and as we get better we rely on less and less. But let’s face it, cropping is an integral part of the photography process, whether you’re cropping in-camera or after the fact.

Here are three reminders of how to crop responsibly from Chelsea Nicole Photography.

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Watch: El Risitas explains why Rule of Thirds sucks in a hilarious “subtitled” video

Apr 16, 2021 by Dunja Djudjic 6 Comments
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I’m sure you’ve seen El Risitas in one of many iterations of his 2007 interview, filled with his recognizable laughter. This video turned into a meme in 2015, and a bunch of “subtitled” videos popped up on YouTube. Well, here’s finally one for photographers and other artists. In this one, El Risitas is subtitled as Picasso telling a story about the Rule of Thirds and why it sucks.

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Back to basics: Mastering the Rule of Thirds in photography

Jan 6, 2021 by Nicholas Goodden Add Comment
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The rule of thirds in photography.

I know… I’m going back to basics but since I just published an article on the importance of Leading Lines in Photography, I thought it to be a good idea to go back to the beginning and explain crucial bits of photography which I hadn’t covered until now.

A note on rules: I have always held the belief that rules, however useful at times, are meant to be broken.

Don’t go slap your boss, it wasn’t meant that way.

I’ll put it in bold for you:

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Mastering composition with a little help from Will Smith (sort of)

Jan 17, 2017 by John Aldred 3 Comments
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Perhaps “with help from a little Will Smith” would’ve been a little more accurate, but still. The “rules” of composition are widely known and hotly debated. On the one side, you’ve got those who swear by them, live by them, and can’t break free from them. On the other side you’ve got those who claim they “don’t live by rules” and ignore them, while suggesting others do the same.

The simple fact of the matter, though, is that a lot of the time, the “rules” work. Sure, there’s times when you want to break free. But, if you don’t understand how and why they work, how can you know when to effectively break them? In this video, filmmaker Darious Britt talks us through some of the rules of composition. He also explains exactly why they often work so well. Basically, it all boils down to familiarity and comfort.

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Why The Golden Ratio Is Better Than The Rule Of Thirds

Oct 24, 2016 by Jon Sparkman 24 Comments
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A long time ago I was a young art student, being told about the “Rule Of Thirds”. I was told it’s one of the most important fundamentals of art and photography, as it helps you get the right composure in your images. Overlay a tic-tac-toe/noughts and crosses grid over your image and crop or move your picture around so that the “points of interest” lie on the lines or line intersections. Sounds simple, it has been the basis of countless millions of images throughout the centuries. But is it perfect? No! Is there a better, more badass brother to the grid? Yes! Enter the Golden Ratio.

Just to slow things down a bit, here’s what the Rule Of Thirds (I’ll call it the ROT grid from now on) looks like on a plain black background. Chances are you’re familiar with it, you’ve seen it pop up on your cameras viewfinder or as an overlay in Photoshop or Lightroom.

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Why does bad framing work? Looking beyond the rules of composition

Oct 17, 2016 by John Aldred 13 Comments
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The only thing over which we always have control in photography or video, no matter what your camera, is composition. We’re taught these “rules” and theories to help improve how we frame our work. But how much do these rules really need to be followed? And how does our viewer perceive the work when they aren’t? And is it still really bad framing when the work doesn’t follow the rules but we can’t look away?

In this video from YouTuber Brain Flick, we take a look at the psychology of pleasing compositions. The rules we’re taught as photographers, and the effects that breaking them can have on the work and how it is perceived.

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20 tips and rules to make you a composition ninja

Sep 15, 2016 by Barry O Carroll 7 Comments
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There are no unbreakable rules when it comes to how you should compose your photographs After all, who likes rules except for your old school principal or heads of H.R. departments? There are however, several guidelines you can use to help improve the composition of your photos. In this tutorial, I’ve listed 20 of these guidelines along with examples of each. I’ve started with the most basic ones and finished with some of the more advanced composition techniques.

First of all we have to define what is meant by ‘composition’. Composition refers to the way the various elements in a scene are arranged within the frame. As I’ve already mentioned, these are not hard and fast rules but guidelines. That said, many of them have been used in art for thousands of years and they really do help achieve more attractive compositions. I find that I usually have one or more of these guidelines in the back of my mind as I’m setting up a shot.

We’ll start with probably the most well known composition technique: The Rule of Thirds.

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There is no way to break compositional rules, only move to more advanced rules

May 22, 2016 by Udi Tirosh 14 Comments
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Of course it follows the rule of thirds, It has to to be a good photo, right? I am not sure. You can always “break the rules”, to make a good photo, which loughs at the composition rules…

This display of power from Photographer James Allen Stewart shows that there is no way around the rules, there are only more intricate rules that make a good photo.

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9 Photo Composition Tips In 189 Seconds

Mar 16, 2015 by Udi Tirosh Add Comment
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If you are just starting out on photography, you’ve probably heard about the RULES OF COMPOSITION. When you hear about those rules, it can be kinda intimidating, especially if they are referred to in all CAPS. The truth is that those rules are actually guidelines that formulate what is visually pleasing to the eye.

The team at COOPH who are really good at cutting down to the chase, made a short movie explaining 9 of these rules. You may have heard them already or you read them in a book, but it is always a great refresher to see all those rules condensed into such a short time frame.

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Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

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