Rule of thirds?

djspinner2k

First q? What is it exactly. I have been told alot of different things. But I would like to hear it from some pros.

And second.
How can you apply this rule to portrait photography? I wold like to you some different techniques when shooting portraits other then the standard straight forward shot.

Please help me understand.

Thank you.

zacker

rule of thirds.... actually is a rule but not.. you put your subject in one third of the frame, so either right or left never in the center.. UNLESS... there is no interesting BG (remember, no matter what your subject is, if its in a third of the frame, the BG will dominate the image, esp if its bland, ugly, distracting or just plain boring) also, with portraits, useing the rule of thirds to add interest to the shot, unless your shooting against a back drop (plain, solid color) then i think its ok to put the subject front and center... remember, you want the subject to be the subject, not the BG.. but on the other hand, adding the BG element, does make a shot more interesting and it adds depth to your shots... like in the wild, a bird on a branch is nice but a bird on a branch with some of the surroundings in the frame is excellent..UNLESS, you want the subject to be the sole, dominant feature in the photo...like for a book on birds for instance. So, rule of thirds is not so much a rule as it is a suggestion.. imagine a tic-tac-toe board on your viewer, put the subject anywhere the lines converge. basically.

djspinner2k

I guess I always looked at it in a different way. If I was to put the subject into one third of the frame, to me it looks like the emphasis is taken away from the subject. and in the end isn't the subject the one you are shooting. not necessarily the BG.

zacker

djspinner2k wrote:

I guess I always looked at it in a different way. If I was to put the subject into one third of the frame, to me it looks like the emphasis is taken away from the subject. and in the end isn't the subject the one you are shooting. not necessarily the BG.

well, your right..thats why it isnt a "hard rule" lol its more like a suggestion like, "shot in marning or late day sun" well what about in full sun with a bright blue sky with nice white, puffy clouds? unless you are shooting directly, you can get some wonderfull images.

Like i said, adding a bit of BG interest goes along way in some shots, I think using the rule of thirds outside in a portrait shoot is fine, if you want to show off the surroundings, if you want the main interest to be the subject and only the subject, go in close, dead center and fill the frame ..

SloYerRoll

Pictures are worth a thousand + words
http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/rule-of-thirds/

BTW this concept has been around for a LONG time. Just look at any old paintings. The rule of thirds is all over the place. It's a great rule to understand not only so you know how to use it, but then you know when you can break it as well.

zacker

Thanks SYR... Nice example! :ivar

djspinner2k

that was a good article. now this is starting to make some sense.

Alex Nail

I alway think of it as "dont put things in the middle"

Placing your subject in the centre of the frame is generally boring and described as "static". There are a very many exceptions to this rule, particularly when symettry is involved but nevertheless its probably the rule I apply most in my photography.

Alex

Glenn NK

Alex Nail wrote:

I alway think of it as "dont put things in the middle"

Placing your subject in the centre of the frame is generally boring and described as "static". There are a very many exceptions to this rule, particularly when symettry is involved but nevertheless its probably the rule I apply most in my photography.

Alex

I agree with this - my term for putting the subject right in the middle is "PLONK", as though it was just plonked there.:D

Some have suggested that the rule of thirds is an easy-to-use modification (simplification) of the golden ratio. There are other methods used in composition that are intriguing:

http://photoinf.com/Golden_Mean/photo-adjuster.html

I think this first reference is interesting (there are three methods given), and might yield some good compositions - I have noticed that many images taken with large hills or mountains seem to use this concept.

http://asp.photo.free.fr/Composition/photoProgramCompMainClass.shtml

http://www.diagonaalmethode.nl/

This last reference actually disputes the rule of thirds somewhat:

http://www.c-weng.com/technique01.htm

leaforte

"PLONK" is new to me, and I WILL use it. Next time I have the opportunity, I will demand someone 'PLONKS' it on to the table.

I am a newbie and use the 'golden rule' basically most of the time. Occcasionally, I decide a crop may 'not be Golden', but I always understand that the crop is an alternative, and I consider whether it may work, or not, for the message.

SloYerRoll

Check out this thread posted by the Hobbyist.

It's a photshop action that lets you crop, rotate & adjust for the rule of thirds all in one action.

It's REALLY nice and saves you tons fo clicks!

http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=589849&postcount=1

LiquidAir

For me, the primary importance of the rule of thirds is that moment when I stop to make a choice. Which side of the feature gets emphasis? Land or sky? Left or right? Beach or ocean? For me, the rule of thirds is often that moment when I stop and think "what is this photo about?"

As for the rule of thirds for composition, I consider the actual 1/3 lines to be something of a method of last resort. My favorite compositions are built from triangles rather than rectangles, but if there is nothing else in the frame guiding the way I frame the shot then I'll use the 1/3 line.

Take this shot for example:



I made my choice and featured the grass over the sidewalk. However, the details of the framing were driven by the leading diagonals rather than the precise 1/3 point.

Glenn NK

leaforte wrote:

"PLONK" is new to me, and I WILL use it. Next time I have the opportunity, I will demand someone 'PLONKS' it on to the table.

I am a newbie and use the 'golden rule' basically most of the time. Occcasionally, I decide a crop may 'not be Golden', but I always understand that the crop is an alternative, and I consider whether it may work, or not, for the message.

PLONK is generally the term used for cheap wine.

SloYerRoll

PLONK is actually something you DO when you drink cheap wine

djspinner2k

wow. thats a lot of good info. I need to stop Plonking my subjects.