Rule of Thirds
When taking photographs you can use the rule of thirds as a guide in the off-center placement of your subjects.
Before you snap the picture, imagine your picture area divided into thirds both horizontally and vertically. The intersections of these imaginary lines suggest four options for placing the center of interest for good composition. The option you select depends upon the subject and how you would like that subject to be presented. Students are to find pictures taken by professional photographers who employ this technique. After taking them from magazines or printing them off from the internet, students are asked to use a ruler and actually draw the template used for the rule of thirds over the image.
Minnesota State Visual Art Standards:
Before you snap the picture, imagine your picture area divided into thirds both horizontally and vertically. The intersections of these imaginary lines suggest four options for placing the center of interest for good composition. The option you select depends upon the subject and how you would like that subject to be presented. Students are to find pictures taken by professional photographers who employ this technique. After taking them from magazines or printing them off from the internet, students are asked to use a ruler and actually draw the template used for the rule of thirds over the image.
Minnesota State Visual Art Standards:
- 3. Justify artistic intent, including how audience and occasion influence presentation choices. (9.3.1.5.3)
- 2. Revise artworks based on artistic intent and using multiple sources of critique and feedback. (9.2.1.5.2)
- 2. Revise presentation based on artistic intent and using multiple sources of critique and feedback. (9.3.1.5.2)