The rule of thirds is a compositional rule of thumb in visual arts such as painting, photography and design.
The rule states that an image should be imagined as divided into nine
equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two
equally-spaced vertical lines, and that important compositional
elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections.
Proponents of the technique claim that aligning a subject with these
points creates more tension, energy and interest in the composition
than simply centering the subject would. |
| snip from George Field (1845). Chromatics; or, The analogy, harmony, and philosophy of colours |
The horizon should sit at the horizontal line
dividing the lower third of the photo from the upper two-thirds. The
"main theme" should sit at the intersection of two lines, sometimes
called a power point. Points of interest in the photo don't have to actually touch one of these lines to take advantage of the rule of thirds.
how to use it
The rule of thirds is applied by aligning a
subject with the guide lines and their intersection points, placing the
horizon on the top or bottom line, or allowing linear features in the
image to flow from section to section. The main reason for observing
the rule of thirds is to discourage placement of the subject at the
center, or prevent a horizon from appearing to divide the picture in
half.
When photographing people, it is common to line
the body up with a vertical line, and having the person's eyes in line
with a horizontal one. If filming a moving subject, the same pattern is
often followed, with the majority of the extra room being in front of
the person (the way they are moving).
The rule of thirds appears as early as 1797 as a rule for proportioning scenic paintings.
Golden Mean
This derives from the "rule of thirds" but
actually it was developed long before "rule of thirds" was even
mentioned in writing anywhere in the world. The only thing that changes
is the preferred intersection spots. There are 2 intersection spots
used here, the upper right and the lower left. This technique was
actually developed in Ancient Greece and is a master technique used in
every ancient Greek statue or construction even in the Parthenon of
Athens Acropolis. It is widely known with the Greek letter φ and it is
equal to 1.61803399. It is one of those mysterious natural numbers,
like e or π, that seem to arise out of the basic structure of our
world. Unlike those abstract numbers, however, φ appears clearly and
regularly in the realm of things that grow and unfold in steps, and
that includes living things.
