How To: Take Better Photos, Part I

Tue Oct 25, 07:48 PM by Rob Queenin

Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds is simple: Imagine a photo divided into thirds vertically and horizontally. Areas of importance in the photo should fall on one of the four intersections caused by these lines, which I’ll call a focus spot. While this doesn’t work for every photo, it more often than not does help a static photo become more dynamic. Imagine all those drunken disposable camera shots you’ve seen. A group of people with their heads together in the middle of a wide open and boring photo. The only reason a photo like that is interesting is because you know the people in it. Or because someone’s drunken nipple slipped out. Better composition and use of negative space (all the areas in the photo not taken up by a person, face, or other area of intrinsic interest) can lead to a drastically better photo with little additional work.

A good example of when rule of thirds can help is the profile or partial profile of a face, like the one above. The main decision is on which vertical line do we align the face? Beginning photo classes usually instruct people to put the face with the negative space in front of it, so it has somewhere to ‘look.’ This is a rule that I feel can be broken easily and with good results. If in doubt, try it. Take the same photo twice, one with the face on each of the vertical third markers. This leads me to another rule on taking better photos:

Take Multiple Shots

Don’t just take one photo of something or someone. Take five. Or ten. Try different angles, get lower or higher. Have them change position or facial expressions. If you have more than one shot to choose from, you can edit. And editing is a big step towards becoming a better photographer. Think of it like evolution. You can’t just intelligently design a photo without experience. If you take ten photos of someone, you might like one better than the others. Next time you’re in a similar situation you’ll remember at least one way to get a photo you like, and nine that didn’t work so well. If you take ten photos this time around, you’ll more than likely get one photo you like and at least a couple that are closer to what you want than what you had last time.

Putting It Together

Next time you’re taking a photo, any photo, take it at least twice. After taking one normally, try taking another one with your subject off-center, aligned with one of the imaginary focus spots. Or if you took the first one using a focus spot, try using a different one. Then, when you get the photos loaded on to your computer (or when you get the roll back from processing—you’re so old-school), you can edit. Which one do you like more? Would you have liked the off-center one more if you had it aligned with a different focus spot? What will you do differently the next time you’re taking a similar photo?

Next time: Choosing a camera and depth of field.

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