Composition | Rule of Thirds

Though there's temptation to place our subject in the center of a photo, studies have shown that when viewing images our eyes naturally go to intersection points. These intersection points are created by dividing the image into thirds, both horizontally and vertically.

The theory is that if you place points of interest in the intersections or along these four lines your photo will become more balanced and will enable a viewer of the image to interact with it more naturally. Aligning a subject with these points tends to create more tension, energy and interest in the subject as opposed to simply centering the subject.

In the image below Jorge’s placement of the subject along one of the gridlines (imagine the photo divided into three equal columns) creates a far more intriguing photo than if she was placed in the center.

Photo Credit: @jorgeq