Composition: The Rule of Thirds

When family and friends are looking at your photos and start talking about composition and the 'Rule of Thirds' do you draw a blank and politely nod? The most well know theory of photographic composition is the 'Rule of Thirds'.

This rule will help your photographs capture the most interesting parts of the subject, thing or landscape you are taking a picture of. It's really simple to learn and after a bit of practice the composition of your photos will dramatically improve.

First step is to break the image into 9 squares or into two sets of thirds, both horizontally and vertically.

As shown above, place the most interesting parts of your image on the intersection lines, which will then create a more balanced image. This is because our eyes naturally go to these points when looking at a photo.

Now you need to start practicing. Before you take the picture imagine your LCD screen or view finder is split into the 9 squares, then think about what the most interesting part of the photo will be and place it on the intersecting lines.