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The
Rule of Thirds is an easy-to-implement principle of composition used
in both photography and scrapbooking. Simply put, the rule
states that a canvas can be divided into nine equal parts by drawing
two equidistant lines both horizontally and vertically. (See ‘Rule
of Thirds’ figure above.) The eye naturally falls onto the four
intersecting points of the lines.
Therefore, when composing a photo or constructing a scrapbook
page, the strongest elements or focal photos should be placed at
these points to create better visual interest.
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Fig. 1
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Fig. 2
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a look at the photo in Figure 1 above.
What do you first notice?
Your answer is most likely to be the little girl on the swing
or the sunset horizon. Well, this is no accident. Look at
Figure 2 where a rule of thirds grid has been placed on top of the
same image.
Notice that the placement of our swinging subject is at the
top-right intersection.
Also note that the silhouetted horizon falls along the
bottommost line.
This is a very important concept when taking landscape
photography.
Instead of cutting your photo in half with the visual line of
a horizon, place it along the bottom or top third of the photo.
The
rule of thirds can also be applied in portrait photography.
Look at the picture of my daughter in Figure 3 below.
Yes, I know she’s cute...but what part of her face do you
notice first? Now look at Figure 4.
Did your answer fall on one of the four intersects?
Most likely, you were first drawn to the subject's eyes.
Notice that not only do both her eyes fall on an intersect,
they are also nearly aligned with the top horizontal line. In
portrait photography, you can use the vertical and horizontal lines
to emphasize interesting points on a face.
Also note that her hand, another important aspect in the
theme of this photo, falls in the bottom right corner of the photo.
It is not a main focal point, but you give it emphasis by filling a
block with it. |
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Fig. 3
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Fig. 4
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in mind that it is okay if your photo is not perfectly composed
straight from the camera.
If your children are like mine, they don’t sit still and
you're happy to get even one photo taken. Relax. You can
always crop your photo later and apply the rule then.
Now
take the rule and apply it to a scrapbook page.
In the example shown in Figure 5 below, I scrapped the photo
of my daughter. Again, take note of what page elements your
eye notices first.
Next, look at Figure 6.
Notice that the photo is placed on the bottom right
intersect. The title is along the right vertical line.
The strip of patterned paper fills the right third of the
layout. All of these elements were placed strategically using
the Rule of Thirds. |
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Fig. 5
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Fig. 6
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challenge now is to apply this rule to your own photos and layouts.
It may help to construct a template to use when scrapping. You
can do this by drawing the lines on a 12 x 12 or 8½ x 11
transparency. If those aren’t available, try cutting 9
squares that you can lay on top of your page or photos (e.g. 4 x
4" each for a 12 x 12 layout or 2.83 x 3.66” each for an 8½
x 11 layout). And remember, once you know and understand the
rule, it’s okay to successfully break it too.
Happy creating! |
-- Tracey Odachowski (a.k.a. Mama Odie)
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