Rule of Thirds

The Rule of Thirds is a general rule for composing photographs in the most visually appealing way.  The rule states that an image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines, and that important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections.  Proponents of the technique claim that aligning a subject with these points creates more tension, energy and interest in the composition than simply centering the subject would.  Here are a few examples of photos that use the rule of thirds.  Click on the photos to view them full-size and to better view the grid.

    

Use of negative space is one great way to utilize the rule of thirds. In these three photos, the subject is looking into the negative space, which draws the eye into the rest of the image.

  

When taking photos with a horizon line, the horizon should always be near the bottom or top third (never right in the middle).  This makes the photo more visually appealing.