RULE OF THIRDS!
The picture will take care of the other 997…
Rikk Flohr © 2013
Rule of Thirds
All posts tagged Rule of Thirds
I snapped this shot of a fool-hardy casual photographer way back in 2005 with my first DSLR (Canon 20D). As I was resurrecting this image the other day, I got to thinking about the in-camera framing and the subsequent crop. Here we have a person (subject) and a setting (frozen waterfall). At first glance that seems like all there is to it. Crop/Frame it so the person is on the Rule of Thirds Lower Right Power Point because the person and action is upward and to the left.
A deeper analysis reveals that the subject of the photo might be a more interesting concept: stupidity or danger perhaps? Now the proximity to peril becomes the driving factor of how to finish the crop on this image..
On the image, I’ve overlaid a red grid showing the Rule of Thirds and a yellow grid detailing the Rule of Fifths. Moving the person on to the right-hand Rule of Thirds eliminates some of the left side of the image which, I think, is important to illustrate the impending ice-fall potential. Retaining those fractured and water-eroded holes in the ice increases the danger. I also decided the peril was increased by showing the mound of ice upon which the intrepid photographer is standing. I could have moved his head down to to lowest right Rule of Fifth but I felt, though the grandeur of the ice sculpture improved slightly, the precarious nature of his position was diminished. The path he climbed and the perch he chose add to the element of the peril. 
Original Rule of Thirds-In Camera Framing
Ultimately, as I find myself doing more often, I found a Rule of Third – Rule of Fifth intersection to be a sweet spot. There lies the head of the person allowing peril to fill the remainder of the frame. Other choices made the person stronger or the ice sculpture stronger but this choice makes the peril most pronounced and that, gentle readers, is the name of the game. Make the subject stronger through cropping – even when the subject is danger.
Rikk Flohr © 2013
Everyone who has done any studying of art and composition is well versed in the concept of the Rule of Thirds. Loyal readers of this blog should be familiar with the concept of the Rule of Fifths as well.
Essentially if you divide any artistic work into a grid 3×3 similar to a tic-tac-toe game, your subject and the most important elements should be placed at the intersection of the gridlines. Similarly, the Rule of Fifths allows you to place an image in certain circumstances on a 5×5 grid at the intersection of the 1/5 lines. Very seldom (make that almost never) has anyone asked why there is a Rule of Thirds and Fifths but no Rule of Fourths.
The picture on the left is a classic Rule of Thirds deployment of the subject (the Moon). The picture on the right is the Rule of Fifths deployment which is the general limit as to the placement of a strong subject and still hold it in-frame. There are exceptions, of course, I and I will, on rare occasion, drive the moon or sun clear to the rule of the sevenths — but only where the composition warrants.
In this image series, composition is simple and we don’t have a lot of competing elements other than the backdrop of the cloud-strewn skies. We also have the liberty, due to the lack of intruding distractions to center the moon right on the Power Points of the rules. This allows for a rather dispassionate analysis of the composition.
We can even take it closer to the edge by invoking the Rule of Sevenths. But even though we are working on the precipice, the composition still holds.
Comparison Pairs
Thirds v Fourths
Fourths v Fifths
Taking a look at the comparison pairs: 3v4 and 4v5. Although there is no right answer, I would argue that, side-by-side, 3 looks better than 4 and 5 looks better than 4. My opinion to be certain and you may differ. History is on my side. Books and experts gravitate to this position. Is there a reason?
One of the rules of composition is the Rule of Odds which says that human aesthetics, all things being equal, tend to prefer arrangements of objects and space in odd rather than even numbers. One moon looks better than two. Three looks better than two. The same holds true of space. Odd space looks better than even space in a broad sense. Other rules intrude such as grounding, or space, direction, intrusions, etc. and these force our compositional placements to alter slightly from the simplistic view of a full moon in a textured sky.
So, ultimately, why no Rule of Fourths? Thirds and Fifths look better. Unless other compositional elements intrude, you should go with the strongest placement of your subject. When it comes to “rules” odds will be in your favor.
Rikk Flohr © 2013
