Learning Activity: The Rule of Thirds - The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum (2024)

FAQs

How to teach the rule of thirds? ›

To understand the rule of thirds you need to break your photograph down into three horizontal parts and three vertical parts which will create 9 separate boxes. Studies show that the human eye doesn't like to rest on objects in the center of a photograph.

On your sheet of paper, draw four equally spaced lines to create nine areas on your paper, as seen below. This breaks the space into three horizontal and three vertical sections. The four points where the lines meet are visual “hot spots”— good areas to position things you want the viewer to focus on.

The rule of thirds is a composition guideline that places your subject in the left or right third of an image, leaving the other two thirds more open. While there are other forms of composition, the rule of thirds generally leads to compelling and well-composed shots.

The Rule of Third splits an image into thirds vertically and horizontally, as shown in this grid. Artists will often separate the foreground and background content by using the horizontal lines. The overlapping areas indicated by the red circles are known as the focal points.

The rule of three is simple: things are manageable and elegantly presented in threes. A writer can write about three characters. A child can learn to use commas between three nouns in a series. And a reader can notice words and phrases that are repeated three times.

The Rule of Thirds is the process of dividing an image into thirds, using two horizontal and two vertical lines. This imaginary grid yields nine segments with four intersection points. When you position the most important elements of your image at these intersections, you produce a much more natural image (in theory).

Rule of Thirds: By dividing a composition into thirds, an artist can align their subject with the guide lines and their intersection points to create a more dynamic composition.

The rule of thirds is a method of breaking up an image or design into different sections using columns and rows that form a grid. The grid consists of three evenly-spaced rows and columns to make nine equal boxes that fit over the image. The grid on your phone's camera is a great example of this.

It works like this: A third of the time, you will feel good. A third of the time, you will feel OK (not good, but not bad). A third of the time, you will perform poorly.

It is often used for landscape photographs because it helps appealingly divide the space. It dictates the proportion between sky and land, for example. The rule of thirds is also used for portraits, especially for side portraits, because it allows you to give the subject perspective.

How to break the rule of thirds? ›

Placing your subject or horizon in the centre of the image is the most obvious alternative to the Rule of Thirds, and works well for many subjects. A prominent horizontal line in the dead-centre of an image perfectly bisects it and gives equal weight to the two halves of the image.

It involves dividing an image into thirds, both horizontally and vertically, to create a grid of nine equal parts. According to the rule of thirds, the most important elements in an image — i.e. the main subject or focal point of the photo — should be placed along these lines or their intersections.

The Rule of Thirds

Imagine two horizontal lines and two vertical that divide the scene into nine equal areas. Place key elements on or near the lines or the intersection points. This will result in a balanced image with a clear point of interest.

The Rule of Thirds is a derivative of the “Golden Ratio”, a mathematical relationship of proportion that can found in our natural world. This unique ratio has been studied by mathematicians for centuries and utilized by artists and architects such as Salvador Dali, Le Corbusier, and Leonardo da Vinci.

The rule of thirds (ROT) is one of the best-known composition rules used in painting and photography. According to this rule, the focus point of an image should be placed along one of the third lines or on one of the four intersections of the third lines, to give aesthetically pleasing results.

I like to explain the rule of thirds to my kids as the place they position things in their photos. Sometimes it is not best to place your main subject in the center of your image; it can be more pleasing to the eye if you position the subject on one side or another. Have your kids ever played tic-tac-toe?

Generally speaking, the rule of thirds works best when you are photographing a subject that is not centred in the frame. This could be a person, a landscape, or anything else that you want to emphasise in your photo. The off-centre placement creates a more dynamic and interesting image.

Imagine dividing your image into nine equal parts with the help of two vertical and two horizontal lines. That's precisely what makes the rule of thirds. Using this grid, you must place your objects along the lines or at the points where they intersect.