My first reaction was to rebel. Then I wished to obey and make my photos really nail the rule of thirds. And then I thought: But why?
These are the first three photos that I chose for this post.
Then the obedience phase set it. Here is a rose as taken + cropped horizontally + cropped vertically. (But why didn’t I straighten it to begin with?)
Or this. I’m not fully sure that I picked the best examples. Clearly, this little amount cropped is the only sacrifice that I’m willing to make. 😀
Then I thought: But why?
And then I realised, in short: No rule will tell me what to put in my picture.
For example: Sandy had to remove ALL OF HER BEAUTIFUL DOOR to comply to the rule of thirds. Have a look.
She is mighty kind though so she provided a link for further studies. I did, I studied it, because I really want to get it. While most of the examples looked logical and I agreed with them, I was baffled by this one:
This is exactly differently how I’d do it. I’d put the sea level on the bottom line and the sun at the crossroads. I will never get why this is the correct way.
Another confusing example is the second photo in Sarah’s Friendly Friday host post, of the church. I’d move the church to the right so that the cross is on the left vertical. How about you? Does it matter?
Is it just the general idea that matters and not precise execution? Then these are perfect:
Sarah has many wonderful examples in her post and lets us also disregard the rule, which, as you can imagine, I embrace most gladly. Like this:
Be as it may, the whole thing reminds me of when I tried to learn to play chess. At one point it got over my head.
For Friendly Friday Photo Challenge hosted by Sarah at Travel with me: The rule of thirds
This day in my blogging history
It’s not me that should leave … it’s you guys who should come here and share all the beauty … and maybe just a little bit of the fear! Do you good.
The reason why the little bestia is featured above rather than the big one is not because I’d love him more – he is just easier to photograph running naked in the grass.
2019: Three quotes, borrowed from Brian at Bonnywood Manor. This is one:
We are all here on earth to help others; what on earth the others are here for I don’t know. –W. H. Auden
2020: Thirty photos of rows in a row:
But where is the editor now to tell me to lose ten of these?? Nowhere in sight, that’s where. I’m my own Mexcessive editor and I love my job.
An Embarrassment of Riches 
Rules are made to be broken! But the general idea is to know what works..until it doesn’t, for you
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Thank you, Sue. I do. I click and don’t worry too much.
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Best way!
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I love that painting by Turner. I think he liked using the hand rail of the biggest ship for his horizon and stuck it there. I would have used the ship in front of that if it were mine I think.
The church doesn’t bother me as is. The thing is, once you learn the general rule/principle of making a good composition using the rule of thirds you can break the rule! 😀
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Thank you, Deborah. Yes, once you learn… I’m still trying to learn it.
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Me too. Especially composition! 🤦♀️😀
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“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” –Pable Picasso. You are in good company, Manja.
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Haha, thanks, Lois. I have learned didley though. :p 😀
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Yes, as the others have already said, you can break the rule of course. Your photo, your choice! But it’s helpful to know it and bear it in mind when making decisions about composition. And by the way, I certainly wouldn’t straighten that rose! I’ll be talking about diagonal lines in a future post but basically, they’re more dynamic aand just as placing objects off-centre can be pleasing to the eye and engage the viewer, so can the use of diagonals (by which I DON’T mean wonky horizons!) As to the church, you’re right, perfect adherence to the rule would probably place the cross on the vertical line. But this isn’t about perfect, it’s about a rough layout and also doing that would have pushed the church as a whole too close the centre to please ME, and in the end as photographers we can only do what pleases us and hope it pleases the viewer too 😀
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Yeah! I like that thought at the end, Sarah. Thank you. Except I’m not really pleasing my viewers, I fear. 😀 Especially if they are pros, they must cringe a lot. Anyway… my photos, my rules. Thanks for this interesting subject.
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I use the rule of thirds at first and then go from there. I often find it does work better than what I originally thought of. However! My photo – my choice! I wouldn’t straighten the rose either. Very interesting post!!
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Thank you, Andrea. 🙂 Only right before posting I thought that I should have straightened it… Well, I’m glad I haven’t.
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You’re welcome! I’m glad you didn’t too. 🙂
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As a non-photographer, I learned a lot in this post!
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I’m glad, Carol Ann. But you do take photos, the same as I. 🙂 Thank you!
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Good that you tried applying the rules Manja. At the end of the day, we take pictures that appeal to us rather than the rules. For me the first priority is content; composition flows from that. So, although you mourned the loss of my door, I was OK with it because I cared more for the guys sitting on the steps rather than the door itself 🙂
Your comment on Turner’s painting is interesting. You’ve just observed what choices we can make in composing a picture. In this painting, I think ignoring the grid lines & intersection points resulted in a much better picture – the lower water line gives more attention to the sky; the sun low on the horizon indicates the time of day; the offset of the sun balances the light & scale of the white ship to the left. Did Turner ignore the rule of thirds, so much as work within it’s guidelines?
Of your photos, I liked the last one with the ladybug. I didn’t see much of a difference in the crops but I prefered the one of the left.
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Hihih, thanks for liking the ladybug, Sandy. That was the point, I think, to show how little of the content I’m willing to sacrifice for this rule. 😉 But yes, I understand what you’re saying. As before I shall not worry too much over my thirds but will have it in mind when cropping.
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Rules can never replace the eye for framing. It’s probably for the best that I never attended art school. (K)
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Ah, I see. Fully self-taught? The eye is the eye… Thanks, K.
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I went to design school, but they teach you practical skills. I have taken the occasional art class, but they were not serious enough, I guess, to ever mention how we should compose our work.
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Rules are to be brokemn, obviously. I always figured that so long as something of note was happening at the third mark in an image – that was good.
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Thank you, Emma. Third mark? You mean where the lines intersect?
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Yes
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I tend not to follow photography rules, but I was glad to learn the rule of thirds because it alerted me to the idea of moving the subject around within the frame. If I’m not sure exactly where to place something when I’m getting ready to shoot, I think of the thirds and it helps me make a decision. But then, photography is only a casual hobby for me and I don’t put much effort into trying to become a better photographer. That’s why you impress me with this post for challenging the rule thoughtfully.
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Thank you, Crystal. I like it how you explain it. This rule is a great aid in exactly this way. I’m mighty casual as well but I really did try to get it, with mixed results. I’m glad you’re impressed. 😉
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I adore all the photos. It is interesting how the rule of thirds does accentuate the subject of the photo. I’d say it all depends on where you want to draw the eye. With enough negative space, you can really accentuate what you want the viewer to see. It’s fascinating and I bloody love it. I agree with how you’ve presented your photos above.
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Thank you, Sunra Nina. I’m doing it by feeling. The way I edit photos is the fastest I can. The least amount of thinking. It’s how I respond to comments too. First thing on my mind. 🙂 Gives best results, I find.
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That is the best way to do it, straight away and instinctively. You’re absolutely right.
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Where does that ladybug think she’s going?
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Hahha. She wasn’t telling…
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