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| Rule of Thirds |
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The rule of thirds is one of the basic,
yet very effective, rules that one can follow while composing a photo.
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Consider the photo to be divided into nine equal parts by two horizontal
and two vertical lines as shown in the figure. The rule of thirds
encourages one to compose a photo such that an "object of interest" is placed
either at the intersection of two lines (shown in red) or along one of the four lines.
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Studies have shown that when viewing photos our eyes naturally
concentrate on one of the intersection points rather than
the center [1,2]. The rule of thirds works with this natural way of viewing an image.
Below are a few shots composed following the rule of thirds. Observe that
interesting objects are placed near the intersection points and all major lines
are aligned with one of the four lines.
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In order to follow the rule of thirds, before taking a photo
ask yourself these two questions [3]:
- What are the points of interest in this shot?
- Where should I intentionally place them?
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References
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[1]
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P. K. Bert, The Art of Composition. Allworth Communications, Inc., 2005.
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[2]
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"Rule of thirds." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Sep 26, 2009. [Online]. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds. [Accessed: Oct 3, 2009].
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[3]
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D. Rowse,"Rule of thirds." [Online]. Available: http://digital-photography-school.com/rule-of-thirds. [Accessed: Oct 3, 2009].
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