Video:How to Use the Rule of Thirds in Photography

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Transcript:How to Use the Rule of Thirds in Photography

Hi I'm Kris Sundholm for About.com

We are going to be talking about the Rules of Thirds in Photography.

Applying the Rule of Thirds in Photography

Whether you have a cell phone camera or a DSLR, this rule will work for you.

Definition of the Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds is an imaginary tic-tac-toe board is drawn across an image to break it into nine equal squares. The four points where these lines intersect are strongest focal points. The lines themselves are the second strongest focal points.

Using the Rule of Thirds in Photography

To use the rule of thirds you need to imagine the grid on all of your images as you compose them in the viewfinder. Some cameras with LCD screens have an option to overlay the grid on the display. With a little practice you will be able to effectively imagine the grid placement as you shoot.

Another general rule (although this rule can be broken in certain circumstances) is that your subject should be placed on the opposite line of the direction your subject is looking towards. For example, a portrait where the subject is looking to the left should place the subject body on the right.

While most good portraits appear to be simply a centered torso they are following the rule of thirds. In the case of single portraits, the subject's eyes are placed along the top rule of third line. In multiple subject portraits the subject faces are placed on the rule of thirds lines. This is why a multiple-row posing generally works better than a one-row posing.

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