# how can i take rule of third photo ?



## junqi (Jan 17, 2015)

Dear all,

how can i take rule of third photo ? i still can't quite understand. i know that in the picture the rule of third is cut out of 3 part but the problem is where do the focus point aim to ?

Thank you for your assist.


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## Vtec44 (Jan 17, 2015)

You place all interesting subjects where the lines intersect.  At least that's the idea.


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## The_Traveler (Jan 17, 2015)

If you are interested, I wrote a 4 part blog post about composition here - Lew Lorton Photography | Getting to the image - how people see and how the photographer can use that. Pt 1


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## junqi (Jan 17, 2015)

Vtec44 said:


> You place all interesting subjects where the lines intersect.  At least that's the idea.  [/QU
> but how about the focus point ? where do i have to aim ?


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## Vtec44 (Jan 17, 2015)

You aim where ever that would make your intended subject to be in focus.  So if you need to move your focus point so that your intended subject can be in focus, then move your focus point.  If you focus and re-compose will help make your intended subject to be in focus then focus and re-compose.  If you have enough depth of field that you don't have to move your focus point out of the center then don't.


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## imagemaker46 (Jan 17, 2015)

Up until I joined this forum I had never heard of the rule of thirds.  I just take pictures.


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## Nettles (Jan 18, 2015)

imagemaker46 said:


> I just take pictures.




Can Composition Be Taught? | The Image Plane


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## Designer (Jan 18, 2015)

junqi said:


> Dear all,
> 
> how can i take rule of third photo ? i still can't quite understand. i know that in the picture the rule of third is cut out of 3 part but the problem is where do the focus point aim to ?
> 
> Thank you for your assist.



Please practice this many times to become comfortable with the procedure.

Mostly I would focus on the most important part, and if that is at your 1/3 point, you move the frame to center the subject.  The camera then can focus with the main subject centered, and then keeping your finger pressed half way (to lock focus) move the camera so the frame is where you want it, then finish pressing the shutter button all the way.  

Some cameras have an optional "focus lock" button on the back, so then you focus (half press), and use your thumb on the back button to lock it there, (at which point your shutter finger needn't stay on the shutter button) and then recompose the frame and press the shutter button.  

If you are using either of these methods, you cannot release the focus lock while reframing or your camera will focus on something else.


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## pgriz (Jan 18, 2015)

Nettles said:


> imagemaker46 said:
> 
> 
> > I just take pictures.
> ...



Ummm... Nettles.  I know you're new here, but you should be aware that Imagemaker is a long-time professional sports photographer, with his images published by many sports publications, and who is also the son of another well-known photographer, Ted Grant.  I think his comment is kinda tongue-in-cheek, and if you look up his images, you'll find that learning about composition is not something that Scott needs to do.  

Having written that, I did go to your blog to see what you're offering.  Can't complain with your observations in that post, although the post does not specifically address the OP's question.  On the other hand, once the OP figures out what the "rule of thirds" is about, and sees it as one of the possible tools he/she could use to structure their composition, then your advice on compositions could be useful.


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## 407370 (Jan 18, 2015)

Rule of thirds example:
The original pic has neither the horizon or the sun on a crosspoint if you split the picture into a 3 x 3 block (vertically and horizontally)




 
But with a bit of creative cropping:


 
The horizon and the sun are closer to the thirds where they crossover.

This of course can be done when composing the frame of the pic or in post. Think of it as a guideline rather than a rule.

Does that help?


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## imagemaker46 (Jan 18, 2015)

I've used the line "I just take pictures" many times on the forum and tell the same thing to people I work with.  It is a simple way of saying how I see what I do. Over the years I learned to see without having to overthink a situation.  While many of my images may follow all the "rules" of photography, they are not done with rules in mind.  If I see something I like, I shoot it, then I look at it from slightly different angles. If I saw the image in the first place, chances are it was close to being right.  I look past an image to see what's behind it, if I wait a few minutes will it get better without me moving, sometimes yes other times no.  Everything I look at I see a picture, the majority are boring, but it more based on how I see the light than it is on dividing an image into segments.  If the light shifts while I'm setting things up to follow a specific set of rules, what I originally saw may be gone.  This is why I use the simple "I just take pictures"  

When I'm shooting for a client I do think ahead as to where I would like to shoot from, many times the only rule in place is "you can't shoot from here"  I may or may not follow that rule, depends on their security rule. The different fields of photography aren't always set up for the rules of thirds.  I crop images the way they look best, they may be tall or wide and thin, subject heavy loaded at the top, bottom or side.  If it's a square that works, a square it is.  The bottom line is that while the rule of thirds, or any other "rules" may occur in my images, I haven't intentionally thought about it, I never have.  As I mentioned, I had never heard of it before this forum, I was never told there were rules to photography at anytime in my life.  I learned from just taking pictures, lots of them, I have shot my share of garbage, but I gathered experience along the way.

One of the biggest downfalls I see that learning camera owners have is stressing out by overthinking the pictures they want, and coming away with nothing.  If you see it, just shoot what you see, chances are it's right. It's also less frustrating.


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## Nettles (Jan 18, 2015)

pgriz said:


> Nettles said:
> 
> 
> > imagemaker46 said:
> ...



Actually, I was in general agreement with his comments.


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## Nettles (Jan 18, 2015)

imagemaker46 said:


> While many of my images may follow all the "rules" of photography, they are not done with rules in mind.



Same here.  ☺


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## TCampbell (Jan 18, 2015)

It may be helpful to consider some thought behind the "rule of thirds" idea.  It's not the rule, as such, that's important -- but the idea of what it does to a viewer.  As such, I know we call it the "_rule of thirds_", but I prefer to think of these more as _guidelines_ and less as _rules_.  It's not critical that you exactly follow the rule, but the as a guideline it's helpful to know it because as a broad generalization (which implies this does not work in _every_ situation) you will often get a better result when you do follow the its guidance than when you ignore it.

Just next to me at my desk, I've got a pencil holder -- filled with pens and pencils.  When I want a pencil, I look AT the pencil holder and find pencil to grab.  But instinctively my eyes "center" the pencil holder.  What my eyes DON'T do is think... "I'll just position the pencil holder in the left area of my field of vision so that the composition looks better sitting next to my desk phone - which creates more of a sense of balance, flow, and some additional visual interest."  People tend to "center" whatever they look at.  A centered subject is _expected_ by the brain.

The thought is that if you "center" a subject (new photographers tend to center everything) your eyes and brain are satisfied to look in the center and you don't 'look around".  

But the thought goes on to suggest that if the subject is NOT centered, then the eyes and brain of the viewer will look at the subject... and then start to wander around the image.  This somewhat unnatural composition (not what we instinctively "just do") gets the brain's interest... it's not as boring as the "expected" composition.  The eyes and brain wander around the frame to explore and the viewer finds it more interesting.  The viewer explores and takes in the image as a "whole" composition and doesn't just gravitate to the subject and ignore the rest.

Does the subject need to be _precisely_ at the "1/3rd" line for this to happen?  Not necessarily... but describing that you should offset the subject by "roughly a third" of the frame gets the point across.

In the end, YOU should look at the "whole" composition of your frame... the balance of dark to light, subject to background interest, lines of flow such as leading lines, pattern, symmetry, tension or whatever else goes into your composition on the whole.


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## Designer (Jan 19, 2015)

junqi said:


> *i know* that in the picture the rule of third is cut out of 3 part
> *
> but the problem is*
> 
> where do the focus point aim to ?


Apparently I'm the only one who actually understood his question, so I've highlighted the pertinent points and separated them so they are easier to understand.


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