foreground; placing it along the bottom third emphasizes the sky.
Notice, for example, the difference in the two images in Figure 5–3. In the image on the left, the horizon lies on the upper third, drawing attention to the chair in the foreground and the expansiveness of the sea. The image on the right, on the other hand, emphasizes the sky and the power of the kite because the horizon is on the bottom third.
The tops of buildings, trees, and mountains: These elements often appear along the top or bottom third in an image. You sometimes can align the horizon with the bottom third and place the top of the buildings, trees, or mountains in the top third to create a comfortable composition that accommodates both naturally strong visual elements.
Supporting elements: Your
Figure 5–3: Draw attention to yourforeground by placing the horizon on the top third and to your sky by placing it on the bottom third.
The size of your subject determines where you position that subject in your frame and what you focus on when positioning it. If the subject is large in your frame, you have to determine what detail is most important and most deserving of priority placement. For example, when you photograph a person so he's large in your frame, consider placing his eyes on a third so
viewers are drawn to make eye contact when looking at the image. If the person is smaller in your frame, you can simply position his entire body on one of the thirds.
Leaving some of your golden points empty (containing no points of interest) gives more impact to the ones you do use. In Figure 5–4, for instance, the right side of the frame has more visual impact on a viewer because the left third contains no points of interest. The left side of the frame contains leading lines that walk your eyes through the frame, but they ultimately lead you back to the subject.
50mm,
Figure 5–4: Keeping some of your golden points free of compositional elements helps to draw more attention to the others.
Interpreting the rule of thirds to make it Work for your scene
The rule of thirds is a wonderful guide for helping you get more creative with your compositions. It causes you to consider placing your subject, supporting elements, and horizon lines somewhere other than the center of your frame. However, don't think that you have to follow the rule of thirds to a T every time. If you compose images in such a formulaic way with every scenario, your photography will become predictable and possibly even boring.
Treat every scene according to its own unique circumstances. After all, certain elements change the way you compose a scene. Sometimes you can use the rule of thirds as a guide and then shift your subject (or another key element) a little to one side or the other in order to convey your message more appropriately.
The size and shape of your subject along with your intended message determine where you position the subject. Placing it closer to the center creates a more traditional and comfortable feeling. Placing it nearer the edge of your frame creates tension and suggests that you did so for a reason. Perhaps you intended to lessen the importance of the subject in comparison to the rest of the scene. You may use this composition if you were photographing a firefighter putting out a house fire. Having the firefighter toward the edge of the frame enables you to reveal the blazing house as a major part of the story.
After you find the appropriate position for your subject, also make sure that everything else in the scene has a place and fits comfortably in that place. Doing so is important to creating clear messages and images with high aesthetic quality.
Figure 5–5 shows you a composition that successfully manages many separate elements. I didn't follow the rule of thirds precisely in this figure, but I did apply the general theory.
Here's a breakdown of how I composed Figure 5–5 and why:
I positioned the subject between the center and the right thirds. I placed him on the right side because of the room's setup and the lighting. The bed takes up much of the space on the left side of my frame, and the light comes from the right, casting a shadow to the left. If I had positioned my subject nearer the left third, the shadow (which creates an interesting leading line in the composition) would be lost, and he would be uncomfortably close to the bed. I moved him slightly toward the center to keep him from merging with the edge of the door on the right side of the frame.
To avoid merging lines (see Chapter 9), I had to choose between placing my subject in front of the painting or in front of the door. I chose to block the painting with my subject so it wasn't recognizable. After all, this photo is my work of art, not the painter's.
I positioned the bed in the foreground to help lead viewers' eyes into the image. This supporting element signals that the subject is in a bedroom and gives a sense of environment. The bed's coverings also have a similar texture to the curtains in the background, and repeating (or similar) elements add interest to a composition. (Chapter 4 tells you more about using patterns and repetition.)
I placed the horizon (where the floor meets the back wall) along the bottom third. This placement helps create a comfortable space to work within. If a horizon line is too close to the center, it divides an image in
half in a somewhat uncomfortable manner. And having the horizon too close to the bottom edge creates an unbalanced relationship between the floor space and the wall space.
I arranged the chair in the background to balance the bed in the foreground. Because of these strategic placements, this scene is naturally symmetrical; having something on the left requires something on the right to maintain balance.
Figure 5–5: Every element has its place in a successful composition.
I ensured that the back doors appeared at the edges of the frame in order to bring closure to the composition. The outer edges of the doors are darker than the center areas of the doors, creating an edge that keeps viewers' eyes in the frame. In other words, including more wall space beyond the doors would have invited viewers' eyes to go out of the frame.
I left space in the foreground to bring viewers' eyes into the frame, and I included the dark section above the back wall to close out the top of the frame. Both of these techniques help keep a viewer in the frame longer and provide descriptive details about the subject's environment. If this image was strictly about selling the pants or the model, I would crop in closer to show a clearer depiction of each. However, this particular image was created with the intentions of selling a photographic style that maximizes depth and narrative quality.
Your own judgment always trumps a general rule when choosing the best composition for an image. Keep the rules in mind but do what looks best in the end.
Taking Advantage of Space to Get lour Message Across
Your frame provides a rectangular space that's basically a blank canvas until you take off your lens cap and begin to compose a scene. You need to fill the canvas with information that's going to get your intended point across. The elements you include in your composition should fit appropriately according to their size in the frame and their relationship to the other elements.
