![\"rule_of_thirds\"](\"http:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/11\/rule_of_thirds.jpg\" "\\"rule_of_thirds\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nThis technique gives images a certain dynamic quality.\u00a0 The images do not feel static but have an interesting and pleasing tension.\u00a0 If you play around with this a little I think you\u2019ll find your photographs will have that extra little something to them.\u00a0 In fact, this is such a natural thing to do you may well be doing it already without even being aware of it.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s look at a few examples.\u00a0 We\u2019ll begin with horizons.\u00a0 If there\u2019s a horizon in your image rarely would you want to place it in the center.\u00a0 Of course there are exceptions but generally speaking you\u2019d want to place the horizon on either the top or bottom one third line.\u00a0 Placing it on the top line would emphasize the foreground.\u00a0 Placing it on the bottom line would emphasize the sky.\u00a0 Here\u2019s an example of the former.<\/p>\n
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This is the famous Racetrack Playa in Death Valley National Park where rocks skid around when on one is looking. The subject is not just the rocks but the fascinating tracks they leave so more image real estate is given to them.<\/p>\n
When you have a glorious sky (sorry I don\u2019t have an image to illustrate) you will want to try setting the horizon on or near the bottom one third line.<\/p>\n
The next example also places the subject on the one third line, this time the right one.\u00a0 But this time the horizon or rather the shore line is in the middle of the image.\u00a0 You\u2019ll often do that with reflections because in this case you want the symmetry.<\/p>\n The next example illustrates how the areas can be filled rather than placing subjects on the lines.\u00a0 This is Split Rock Lighthouse in Minnesota (did you know that Minnesota has more lighthouses than any other state?).<\/p>\n Let\u2019s finish this with an image that is very symmetrical\u00a0 while at the same time employing the rule of thirds.\u00a0 This is an image of the tufa at Mono Lake east of the Sierra Nevada mountains in California.<\/p>\n Now, this composition didn\u2019t manifest itself to me while in the field.\u00a0 It was afterwards in the digital darkroom that I saw the potential for a symmetrical composition, something you don\u2019t see very often.\u00a0\u00a0 But to make it work I placed the horizontal plane of symmetry on the upper one third line.\u00a0 This accomplished two things.\u00a0 First, it neutralized the static qualities of the vertical symmetry and second, it made it possible to show the magical progression from blue to orange in the water.<\/p>\n Camera makers are just now starting to realize the importance of the rule of thirds.\u00a0 In the past, you could buy a focus screen that had lines for your view finder but it was divided by three lines horizontal and vertical, not two.\u00a0 So it divided the viewing area into fourth, not thirds.\u00a0 But now my Canon 1Ds Mark III has the option of displaying the one third lines on the LCD panel.\u00a0 I find this to be incredibly helpful when I\u2019m composing an image with Live View.\u00a0 And I was also really happy to see my new Canon G11 point and shoot with the same capability.\u00a0 I can\u2019t tell you how often I check the alignment of the image against those line.\u00a0 Well, actually, I can.\u00a0 I look at them for virtually every shot.\u00a0 That\u2019s not to say that I always apply the rule of thirds.\u00a0 I don\u2019t.\u00a0 But now whether I apply the rule of thirds or not, it is a conscious decision.<\/p>\n So, give it a try.\u00a0 If you camera is capable of displaying the one third lines, turn them on if you haven\u2019t already.\u00a0 If not, think of the scene as though the lines were there.\u00a0 Give it a try.\u00a0 Put things on the lines, at the intersections or in the areas.\u00a0 Go overboard.\u00a0 Go crazy.\u00a0 You\u2019ll soon have a more conscious feel for using one of the most effective compositional techniques.\u00a0 And you\u2019re going to like the way your pictures look.<\/p>\n As always, here\u2019s wishing you good light.<\/p>\n Join me on an upcoming workshop.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>Here\u2019s an example of placing the subject on one of the one third lines.\u00a0 This is beautiful Latourell Falls in Oregon\u2019s Columbia River Gorge.\u00a0 The waterfall not only is placed in the left one third line but stops at about the bottom one third.\u00a0 This makes it possible for the stream to form both a diagonal and leading line that draws the eye to the waterfall.\u00a0 There are also other diagonal lines in the image the strengthen the pull to the falls.<\/p>\n<\/a>Moose Pond in northern Minnesota is where this photograph was taken.\u00a0 There is a lot going on between the reeds in the pond and the forest across the way to provide a lot of balance, depth and interest.\u00a0 But the focal point is clearly the autumn tree and its reflection.\u00a0 If the tree had been centered it would work nearly as well.<\/p>\n<\/a>This just isn\u2019t the same, is it. It\u2019s not completely dead but it lacks the drama of the original image.<\/p>\n<\/a>Notice Split Rock itself with its beautiful lighthouse.\u00a0 It occupies the middle left thirds area.\u00a0 This is balanced by the cliff on the right with its pines occupying the right third of the image.\u00a0 You can see literally thousands of images of Split Rock Lighthouse on the internet but I\u2019ve only seen one or two other that employed this composition.\u00a0 It\u2019s very compact and satisfying, giving a feeling of strength and security to the lighthouse.<\/p>\n<\/a>This morning the eastern sky was like nothing I’d ever seen before.\u00a0 The intensity was just amazing.\u00a0 I recall saying to myself out loud, \u201cThis is about the color.\u201d<\/p>\n