Humans like the rule of thirds because it aligns with natural eye movement, creating balanced, dynamic, and more engaging compositions that are easier for the brain to process than centered subjects, guiding the viewer's eye on a "journey" through the image rather than stopping at the center. It provides a simple, effective way to create aesthetically pleasing and harmonious visuals by placing key elements on intersection points, or "power points," which naturally attract attention.
Another reason for using this technique is because it allows you to balance a photo perfectly. The spaces between each line have been said to create an invisible weight that produces a well-balanced image that looks and feels right to the viewer. Lastly, the Rule of Thirds allows for visual creativity and imagination.
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.
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.
In his book Remarks on Rural Scenery, John Thomas Smith discussed the balance of dark and light in a painting, and called it the “Rule of thirds.” He was saying that when given a chance, in pretty much anything that can be divided up, the proportion of ⅓ to ⅔ is more pleasing than other proportions.
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 70/30 rule offers a straightforward yet effective approach to designing color schemes that are both aesthetically pleasing and balanced. By allocating 70% of the color scheme to a dominant color and 30% to complementary accent colors, you can create a harmonious visual experience.
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.
The Rule of 3 is rooted in cognitive psychology, which suggests that our brains are wired to process and remember information more effectively when it's presented in groups of three. From a young age, we're conditioned to understand the world in threes.
The expression "rule of thirds" was first written down by John Thomas Smith in 1797. In his book Remarks on Rural Scenery, Smith quotes a 1783 work by Sir Joshua Reynolds, in which Reynolds discusses, in unquantified terms, the balance of dark and light in a painting.
Some examples of times when the rule of thirds isn't the best fit for your work include symmetrical images, etc. Also, sometimes your subject is simply too big to fit correctly into the grid.
“When we hear or read a list of three things, it's easier for our brains to process and remember them.
“When you're chasing a big goal, you're supposed to feel good a third of the time, okay a third of the time, and crappy a third of the time...and if the ratio is roughly in that range, then you're doing fine.”
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.
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 ...
Here are some key reasons why grouping things in threes is so effective: Pattern Recognition: Humans are naturally inclined to seek patterns. When items are grouped in threes, our brains can more easily recognize and understand the underlying structure.
A: The McKinsey rule of 3 is a communication approach that organizes insights into three clear messages to improve clarity and alignment, similar to the Pyramid Principle.
Three is a recurring pattern in storytelling, language, and politics, among others. When things come in threes, they are experienced as deeply satisfying. This is because three is the smallest number required to create a pattern and rhythm.
If you're shooting a landscape, the horizontal grid helps to balance out your shot. Shoot with a third of foreground; a third of horizon and a third of sky and you will immediately start to see a balanced landscape. You can add in points of interest (for example, a tree) at one of your intersection points.
Summary: The Golden Ratio is special because it perfectly balances addition and multiplication. The Golden Ratio (1.618...) is often presented with an air of mysticism as "the perfect proportion".
Both aspect ratios are used for printing. However, large and landscape images are printed in 16:9. They are good for group photos, landscape photography, etc. 4:3 is generally used for square prints, mostly when you have portrait images.
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.
Also known as the Pareto Principle, it says that 80% of results often come from just 20% of the effort. Or to put it in creative terms—80% of your best work might come from just 20% of what you make. Which means…you've got to make a lot to find your gold.
The painting incorporates the golden ratio (approximately 1.618), a proportion found in nature, art, and architecture. Da Vinci, fascinated by this “divine proportion,” used it to structure the Mona Lisa's face and composition.