Do you keep in mind the “Rule of Thirds,” when you take photographs?
For the first Friendly Friday Photo Challenge prompt for 2022, Sarah, from Travel with Me asks just that question.
Viewfinder Camera Grids
I do like to enable the viewfinder grid on my SLR camera, so that I have rule in the forefront of my mind, when framing a shot, yet the grid function seems to have been disappeared or been disabled on my cell phone camera, and I use that to take the majority of my photographs these days.
Hmmm. [Making a Mental note to check into why that functionality has vanished].
Thus, my phone photos are often a little askew – only 1 or 2 degrees, especially the beach photos – that darn horizon is never perfectly horizontal in the original shot.
I like the visual interest an asymmetrical photo brings to the table, like the way a piece of art needs an odd number of objects to catch the eye.
However,
the photo below has a little too much sky for my liking and needs of the wild blue yonder cropped out. I didn’t use the rule of thirds here, but clearly should/could have. I must have been mesmerized by the incredible beauty of Nordfjord. It is Norway, after all and every corner of that country borders on the spectacular.
I did a little better when roaming through Gyoen National Park in Shinjuku, Japan.
But it seems expert photographers do break the rule on occasions, as seen in this pexel free photo, below:
With the running water flow positioned in the lower right quadrant, of the following photograph, the eye roams around the perimeter taking objects in before settling on the main water flow in the bottom right.
Does it work for you?
But I have to ask, can you apply the rule to a photo of a single object?
Something to Ponder About!
To join in with the Friendly Friday Challenge, post before February 10, and include a ping back and leave a comment on Sarah’s post. Everyone is welcome to join.
A new Friendly Friday prompt will be released on Friday, February 11, when it is my turn to host the challenge.
See ya then –
Something to Ponder About 
Thank you for these examples Amanda, and I enjoyed reading your thoughts on the topic. That Gyoen shot is a perfect example! To answer your question about a single object, I would say absolutely yes. Just look at the flower at Wat Phou in my post to see what I mean 🙂 Do you have to follow it for a single object? That’s a different question and absolutely not! Your waterlily is lovely! But look at it again – isn’t the centre of the flower close to one of those intersections? And with the flower filling most of the frame it’s arguable that it does follow the rule to some extent.
I know what you mean about wonky horizons, I do it all the time! And yes, even in my camera where I have the grid enabled mainly for the specific purpose of avoiding that fault 😆 But that’s where post-editing comes in, as it’s a matter of moments to straighten it, luckily!
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I can see what you mean about the single object. That makes perfect sense. Thank goodness for post-editing and straightening technology for wonky horizons. I don’t seem to recall having so much of this kind of problem when we had film and old fashioned cameras with limited number of photos. Weird.
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Lovely photos, Amanda. I agree with Sarah, your waterlily photo follows the rule but in a less obvious way. Also, I always have to fix my horizons when editing too!
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It is encouraging that you also have the same problem as I do, Sofia! That makes me feel less of an amateur!
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I think most of us have, I don’t really see it as a problem as it’s easily solved. I always thought it has something to do with the my camera’s weight 🙂
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You could be right
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I usually follow the rule of thirds. Sometimes I create it by cropping. Sometimes I ignore it because I would lose an important part of the image.
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Depending on the content of the photograph, cropping might lose some important information. Sometimes I will leave a photograph without cropping if it is a family gathering. The background often gives the context to help tell the story.
Yes, good point, Peggy! Thanks for mentioning this.
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Great examples Amanda. I agree with Sarah, the centre of the lily is in the lower third
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So it seems that I inadvertantly followed the rule with a single object portrait! That is something I will keep in mind.
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👍😁
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Amanda, great pics. I think subconsciously people gravitate toward the Rule of Thirds. There is a another rule of thirds, by the way, in a grouping of four or five choices, people tend toward the third one more than probability suggests. Keith
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That people pick the third choice in a bunch of four or five is so interesting, Keith. I wonder if they are motivated to take something towards the centre?
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I think so.
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Interesting read Amanda.
1. Do you keep in mind the “Rule of Thirds,” when you take photographs?
Depends
90% of the situations I don’t because I am scared that I miss the moment!
10% of the situations I do concentrate on this rule, because what I am clicking is stationary and I have all the luxury to frame.
2.Can you apply the rule to a photo of a single object?
Yes.
We can.
🙏🙏🙏
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I know what you mean, PtP, about not wanting to miss the moment. I admire skilled wildlife photographers who can point focus and shoot with a cool steely calm. I tend to panic and press the wrong buttons in haste! If it is stationary I do way better!
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HAHA
we are all sailing in the same boat!
Thanks for the company😃😃
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As in all rules, sometimes breaking them brings the most success!
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I like the way you say that, breaking rules brings the most success! Mistakes are an excellent way to learn and sometimes serendipitous.
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The rule of thirds is the first thing I learned about photography. I try to stick with it, but also enjoy breaking the rule on occasion. I don’t think I judge any photo as right or wrong depending on whether someone used the rule of thirds or not. It’s all about expressing yourself in a way that is meaningful to you.
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I think you are right that photography is about expressing yourself in a way that is meaningful to you. Photography is a personal matter, because apart from sharing photos on the net, or publishing them somewhere like Society 6, they are for your eyes and enjoyment mostly.
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Lovely photos – and ones that exemplify the rule so well.
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So kind of you to say, Margaret. Thank you.
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Great examples Amanda! For you phone camera, check your camera settings for Grid.
I agree with Sarah, Sofia on the single object question. It’s clarified by thinking about what’s the focal point in the object, rather than the entire object.
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It makes a lot of sense to think about the focal point in a single object photo. I am always looking, subconsciously, for the focal point so perhaps I do that without thinking.
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I’m always in favour on content rather than form. When I edit and crop photos, I sometimes remember this rule, but it doesn’t always improve the photo. I’m the last person anybody should listen to regarding photography. Not sure what to do for this challenge… I need to come up with something until Friday when I’ll post. I like your first photo the best. You can still crop a bit of sky, no?
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I can crop out a bit of the sky from the photo of Nordfjord, but it reduced the quality once I edit. Not sure why….
When cropping, the rule of thirds comes into its own as you work out the best way to frame your photo.
With your plethora of photographs, I feel sure you will find something for this photo challenge. Maybe you could even guest host later in the year for us?
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Later in the year, maybe yes.
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Awesome!!
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Great photography, Amanda. I actually like the extra sky in your Norway shot — it highlights the feeling of expansiveness!
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That is a different perspective, Donna. Thanks for sharing that. I will look at the photo with that in mind. When you hear other viewpoints, you learn something!
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