As a photographer I find myself always searching for better ways to compose an image. Composition is really one of the ways that I am always exploring.
If you explore new and interesting ways to compose your photography you will find that you get happier and happier with your photography as time goes on. This has been my experience. One composition technique I have always come back to is the Rule of Thirds. If you can master the rule of thirds and use it often in your composition you will find that your images are consistently interesting.
The rule is one of the most popular composition rules in the art world. It is also one of the most effective composition rules. The rule is really simple to apply and this makes it very friendly to use for most artists. By mentally dividing the frame into two horizontal lines and two vertical lines you divide the photo in thirds. You have divided the picture into nine equal squares. The rule of thirds can be applied by lining up object with the intersections of the lines as you can see in the picture above. I lined up both the road cones with the cross sections of the lines. I was applying the rule of thirds in this picture. By not centering every shot you make you are going to create more visually pleasing and professional looking photographs. I am sure you will be pleased with the outcome of applying this composition rule. However as with all “rules” they can be thought of as guidelines and are often broken. If you can compose a great shot without applying the rule this is perfectly fine.
Now that you are familiar with the Rule of Thirds you can start to notice when it is used in pictures that you like. Many of the pictures you find interesting will have used the rule. I like to go to Flickr and browse through my favorite photographers and see just how often they use this simple but effective tool.
I would like to know how you use composition to create great work. Has the ROT helped you compose better images? Did I leave anything out? I love comments so tell me and the other readers what compositional rules you use and how it has effected your work.
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