No, you should not always follow the rule of thirds; it's a guideline, not a law, excellent for beginners to learn composition, but experienced creators break it intentionally for specific effects like symmetry, powerful centering, or to tell a stronger story, using it as a tool in a broader compositional toolbox. Mastering the guideline first allows you to break it effectively when your image demands a different approach, focusing on visual interest, emotion, and the story over rigid adherence.
Does every successful photo follow the rule of thirds? Definitely not. But every skill or art is built on certain foundations, and understanding and mastering them are important for improving your abilities.
No. The rule of thirds is a compositional rule for a pleasing composition. It is not an absolute rule that has to be followed but is a guideline for creating an interesting composition. It works, and well, and makes for outstanding compositions, but it is not written in stone, and the rule can be well broken by intent.
First, by positioning key elements at rule-of-thirds intersections or gridlines, your photo becomes more balanced. Your key elements create visual interest in a third of the composition while also balancing out the empty space in the remaining two-thirds. This looks great and feels right to the viewer.
Psychology Behind the Rule
The Rule of thirds is psychologically appealing because it aligns with how humans naturally view images. Our eyes are drawn to intersection points rather than the centre of a frame, making images that adhere to this rule more natural and engaging.
If you place the elements of your photo two thirds to the right or left it again generally becomes more pleasing to the eye. If shooting vertically, try placing your horizon two thirds of the way up or down.
Renowned wildlife photographer and friend Paul Nicklen talks about his 20/60/20 rule: spend the first 20% of your time getting the easy photographs out of the way; then spend the next 60% pushing yourself to make photographs that really stretch both your technique and your vision; and finally, spend the last 20% trying ...
Placing your subject or horizon in the centre of the image is the most obvious alternative to the Rule of Thirds, and works well for many subjects. A prominent horizontal line in the dead-centre of an image perfectly bisects it and gives equal weight to the two halves of the image.
The rule of thirds is an effective way to frame the elements in your scene so that the resulting image is much more visually captivating. Like most other filmmaking “rules,” it's not really a rule at all — more of a golden guideline.
Try It This Week. If you want to get better at using the rule of thirds, here's a simple exercise I set for my students: Spend an hour photographing everyday subjects—your morning coffee, your dog, your walk to the shop. For each subject, take one photo following the rule of thirds and one breaking it.
The golden ratio remains one of the most fundamental principles of art. Vincent van Gogh and Salvador Dali were among the legions of artists to put it to use since da Vinci.
Simply put, the Rule of Thirds explains how we typically have three outcomes to our day. We have great days when we feel healthy and highly productive. We have average days when we are doing well, but could be better. And then, we all have the bad days, when life gets hard and interferes with our best-made plans.
Branching out from five central subject areas, the five Cs -- camera angles, continuity, cutting, close-ups, composition -- Mascelli offers film makers a detailed and practical course in visual thinking.
Rule of Thirds?
Why Gen Z Is Obsessed With Point-and-Shoots. Compact cameras give off major Y2K and early Tumblr vibes - built-in flash, candid framing, and a soft digital grain that's hard to fake on phones. They bring a rawness and charm that polished smartphone shots just can't match. Point-and-shoots offer freedom without fuss.
Using the rule of thirds will generally (but not always) result in better compositions. This rule works for designing ads, creating PowerPoints, taking photographs, and more. The rule of thirds is really more of a suggestion or guiding principle rather than a hard rule that you should always follow.
The Other Side of the Wind is a 2018 satirical drama film co-written, co-edited, and directed by Orson Welles, and posthumously released after 48 years in development.
Or you might just simply want to shoot from a different angle of view, such as shooting up or down on your scene and thus breaking the Rule of Thirds. It's not, and should never be, a problem to break rules. It's always more important to look at a scene and shoot the shot you think looks appealing!
Interdisciplinary photographic artist and educator Mark Chen provides an accessible introduction to photography and shares a “4 C's” framework including craft, composition, content and concept.
The 400 rule is fairly simple; divide 400 by the true focal length of the lens and this will give you the maximum shutter speed before star trails will become noticeable. The TRUE focal length refers to the full frame equivalent of the lens (or 35mm SLR equivalent from the film days).
To capture stunning images, photographers rely on mastering the four fundamental pillars of photography: composition, lighting, exposure, and post-processing/editing. In this guide, we'll explore each of these pillars and how they contribute to creating compelling photographs.
35mm is available in 24 or 36 exposure rolls (and sometimes you can even squeeze a few extra shots out of it). This means you can get up to 36 photographs or more, so although the resolution isn't as high as larger format films, you can get the most photographs from it.