Rule of Thirds

Last night I had the opportunity to teach my Husband's scout troop for their photography merit badge. It made me feel really old. The merit badge book needs some serious updating. Under of the film vs. digital pros and cons it had "familiarity of use" under the film side. We asked the boys if we handed them a film camera and a roll of film if they would know how to load it. They all just stared at us. It was like we were talking a different language. My Husband, his Assistant Scoutmaster, and I all agreed that we felt old. It was then that I realized that the technology may change, but the things that make a good photo haven't. I thought I would share a basic composition technique this week that the scouts found rather interesting: the rule of thirds.

It is simple really. Imagine a tic-tac-toe grid on your photo. The focus of your photo should land on one the crosses. Or at least close to it.

Try not to lead the viewers eye out of the frame with the rule of thirds,

But lead the eye into the frame instead.

If your subject is too big to sit on one of the crosses, try putting a prominent line on one of the "thirds" lines instead.

I hope you found this bit of information helpful and interesting today. Please post links to your "Rule of Thirds" photos in the comments. I would love to see them. And as always feel free to ask any questions you would like.

Thanks for joining me today. Tomorrow today will be the past, so start saving your story today.