How to Use Framing and the Rule of Thirds When Taking Pictures

The rule of thirds is useful for making your pictures more eye catching. It can be confusing, because you are really working with nine areas and not three, in framing, or composing, your photos. First learn to use the rule, then learn to break it, for impact in your photography.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Imagine a grid, or tic-tack-toe board over your viewfinder. Some newer cameras have the grid superimposed on the viewfinder and you can turn it on and off.

2. Use the three horizontal areas of the grid when taking a strongly horizontal photo and the vertical columns when shooting vertical photography to compose the main elements of the picture.

3. Place the grid intersections over the focal points of your pictures. You should rarely place the main focal point of your photo squarely in the center of the frame.

4. Give your subject some "air," space, or headroom in your photos. Think about the motion depicted by your photo. If it is of a moving object, give that object some lead space in the picture for the eye to envision it moving into.

5. When shooting a picture with the horizon, or a shoreline, try to place the horizon or shoreline along the upper or lower horizontal grid line.

6. Keep one line straight with the world. If you have a naturally strong horizontal or vertical line depicted in your picture, try to center a grid line over it.

Tips & Warnings

• Use the rule of thirds when editing and cropping photos to improve them.
• Once you've learned to use the rule of thirds effectively in your photography, then think about ways you can break it for more visual impact in your pictures.