questions for a photographer learning basics.

[disneyfan2]

i am learning to take pics and have ordered some books for beginners. however, i was reading about composition, and the rules of 1/3 rd's. Can someone explain this in simple terms. I always took my pic with the focus smack dead in the middle, but it seems i should be placing them over to one side not in the middle?

help!

 

[jann1033]

basically you mentally divide your photo with a grid consisting of 3 equally spaced horizontal and 3 equally spaced vertical lines( so you have 9 equal sized"boxes" in your mind) then try to aim to have your subject close to one of the intersecting vertical / horizontal lines ie 2/3 up from the bottom and 1/3 in from the left edge would be one placement... not sure if this is part of the rule but i like this best when the object if it's moving is moving into the larger portion of the photo ie if they are walking basically to the left, i'd put them in the bottom right intersect point so it doesn't look like they are escaping the photo

 

[DVC Jen]

I always try to think of the grid as a tic tac toe game - with your focal point being like Janet said - in one of the intersecting areas.

Or - as a bottom, middle and top (or the same sideways) sections.

The books Understanding Exposure or Understanding digital photography by Bryan Peterson are excellant at explaining things in very simple terms - with lots of photos showing what he means.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I had some questions about it myself last spring. Here's the thread, hope it's helpful. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1414269&referrerid=70088

 

[disneyfan2]

I had some questions about it myself last spring. Here's the thread, hope it's helpful. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1414269&referrerid=70088

thanks for posting that link! I have been reviewing past posts on this forum but did not go back far enough. The links were amazing and just what i need( as a beginner) to learn about composition, especially for somone who always photographs the focus in the middle of the pictures.

 

[manning]

one other thing to remember about the rule of thirds

When taking pictures of people you want them to be looking into the picture, not looking out to the edges.

Here is a good example on this site. Towards the bottom is a girl playing soccer. The picture on the left is not what you want. She is moving and looking out to the edge. The one on the right is the one you want.

Also note the lion is looking into the picture.

http://tech.yahoo.com/gd/composing-a-digital-photo-with-the-rule-of-thirds/153015