In The Field With The Rule Of Thirds
One of the most basic foundations of composition is the Rule of Thirds. If you use it, your images will really shine.
Of all of the fundamentals of photography composition, the Rule of Thirds is without a doubt the foundation to creating better images with your camera. One of the most common things I hear when out teaching students in the field is "I can fix that in Photoshop". Well, that may be the case, since digital cameras combined with powerful photo editing software can do some amazing things. But if you are like me, sitting in front of the computer and editing hundreds of photos is not my idea of fun. So how can one nail this basic fundamental when out in the field?
By using some old technology, some ingenuity and taking advantage of todays modern cameras, following the rules has never been easier. Take a look at the series of images below to learn how you too can nail the Rule of Thirds on every photo you will ever take from this point forward, all with little ease.
Here is my camera on my tripod. A few things to note is you can see a Hotshoe Bubble Level to make sure my camera is nice and level which when you are doing landscapes is critical for those horizons. Also note that you can see I am viewing my subject on my LCD screen to ensure I am composing it using the Rule of Thirds.
One neat trick to make sure you are following the Rule of Thirds is to cut a piece of clear packing tape and using a marker, draw your "grid" that looks like a tic-tac-toe game that equally divides the screen into thirds, both horizontally and vertically. Place the tape over your LCD so after you take your image, you can quickly see if your shot follows the Rule of Thirds.
Long used by landscape photographers from the days of using film, many dSLR's can have their focusing screen replaced that you can easily do yourself so you can see if you are following the Rule of Thirds while composing your image and looking through your viewfinder.
With the recent advances in camera technology, many of the new camera bodies now have a killer feature called "Live View". You simply press a button on your camera and you can instantly, in real time, see your composition. You can also set your camera to overlay the Rule of Thirds grid to help line up your subject with ease.
So there you have it. Now, every photograph you ever take will be that perfect picture for you have the secret tools of getting your images right "in camera" using the Rule of Thirds. Now you can spend more time taking those killer images and less time at your computer fixing those mistakes.
Want to learn more in-depth about the Rule of Thirds and how to take your images to the next level? Then join me for the most comprehensive course taught on the internet about composition today! Click here to learn more about "Must Know" Fundamentals of Composition.
Robert La Follette
www.robertlafollette.com
www.robertlafollette.com
