Rule of thirds photography is very important but not always a must follow. But what is the rule of thirds? It’s often referred to as the rule of thirds grid. It was written down by John Thomas in 1797, when painting was very popular and is a general standard rule to create a well balanced shot. You can learn this art by experimenting with it, depending on particular situations and background where your photo will have more power with a centered shot.  The rule of thirds is one of the long-standing rules of photography. It is a widely accepted aesthetic principle. The basic idea of this is that you get a much more aesthetically pleasing image if you place the subject of your photo a third of the way across the frame instead of in the center of the frame. It is long been the accepted way to create more beautiful photos.

Using the rule of thirds meant that photographers should imagine a grid of nine squares placed over their image and then to look to line up elements along this grid, particularly paying attention to the key places created by the four intersections of the grid lines. The objects and areas of interest might also be laid near one of the lines, (it’s a good idea to put the horizon below or above the center, for example)

This was a simple guide for photographers to use mentally when looking through the view finder; they didn’t need to try to match up lines in their image to the exact grid. Some photographers have the opinion that using the rule of thirds has made the images as mundane, stifling, and conventional as the earlier photography with the subjects centered in the middle of the picture.

While taking a photo of people, try to line up the body with the vertical line and keep the person’s eyes in line with a horizontal line. Some cameras have grids and some don’t. If your camera doesn’t have a grid then you have to use your imagination and creativity to take a well balanced photo. As of the rule of thirds the center focus should be oriented at or in the middle of the four power points. Those who don’t have a grid in the view finder of their camera, should imagine that it is there as a tic-tac-toe game with horizontal and vertical lines. Check out the subject in relationship to those lines.

The result of the photograph is dependent on the placement of the subject. If the subject is focused in one of the top corners, the result will be stronger and will have imposing tone to it. Conversely an image centered on either of the bottom power points will appear more demure and secretive. By applying the rule of thirds photography a photographer can get more artistic and dynamic results.

When people first discovered the rule of thirds they tended to leave the grid on. Often photographers so rigidly adhered to an obvious grid of nine squares that the content of the images was almost less important. There is nothing wrong with this; it is okay to place the subject of the photo a third of the way across as a matter of routine. If all your photos clearly look like a grid then maybe you need to alter your subject matter or other aspects of the photo’s composition.