Basics of Photography: Composition and Technique

Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds is the simplest rule of com-position. All you do is take your frame and overlay a grid of nine equal sections. This means you split the vertical space into three parts and the horizontal space into three parts. Generally you want to place important elements where the grid intersects. The intersection points are where the eye tends to go first, so it’s useful to place your subject on one of those points. People generally tend to aim for the centre, but that’s often less effective.

Perspective

Photographing your subject straight-on is sometimes the right choice. Also you can create visual impact by moving the camera left, right, above, and below. When you’re beneath the subject it often makes them/it appear more powerful to the viewer. Conversely, when you’re above the subject it makes them/it appear more diminutive.

Additionally, left and right positioning isn’t as direct and can often make a photograph feel more honest and candid. When capturing a moment, whether it’s staged or not, photographing the subject head-on can often seem a little awkward and end up being less-effective. Of course, you can also combine different positioning elements to create other effects. Try taking photographs of the same subject from different perspectives and see how people interpret them. This is a good way to understand the effects your choices have on the end result.