Composition – Alternative Framing Conventions

You might be thinking that this is going to be another discussion advocating  use of the “Rule of Thirds” when composing your images. I plan to discuss alternative compositional rules as well as the rule of thirds.

I want to be certain we all understand the Rule of Thirds and why compositional rules are used, but only briefly because there are much better places to learn the basics of composition.
There are two parts to the rule of thirds the first is if you divide your frame into three equal sections horizontally and vertically the result is nine rectangles of equal size and proportion. The “rule” is to place your subject on one of the lines or at the intersection of the lines, this is an “action point.”  It is a location within the frame that people naturally perceive as a point of focus based upon our perceptions of the geometry of the image frame, subjects placed at the action points will be given greater attention by all viewers. The second part of the rule is to use the “thirds” to balance the image either by placing your subject in one or two thirds.

The most basic means of applying this rule using shooting landscapes as an example is to fill the lower third for your foreground the middle third for your background and keep approximately one third of the frame filled with sky. This will give you a “balanced” composition, it might not be the most dynamic photograph ever taken, but it will be balanced.

I am a strong advocate for using compositional rules because I know they are powerful tools that help me create good photographs. I am not suggesting a slavish adherence to these rules; I am advocating that you study these rules and put them into practice when you’re taking pictures. They will help you understand, control and manipulate the concepts of line, movement and balance, which are subjects for a later discussion.

Now that we have a mutual understanding of the application of compositional rules in general we can explore the different rules available to us.

There are five compositional rules that I normally work with: the Rule of Thirds, Golden Section, Golden Spiral, Triangle and Diagonals.

Example of Rule of Thirds Compositional Guide

The Rule of Thirds is well known, easy to work with and generally results in well composed pictures. I use this rule but try to stay away from it when I can because it is so commonly used your images can become hackneyed or static, which might be a good thing depending on the image.

Example of Triangles Compositional Guide

My favorite rule to use is Triangles. I find it easily to visualize on most subjects. And it’s use leads to asymmetrical compositions that have a lot of life. (I am unable to find a source link for this compositional guide I had one back in 2002 when I began to consciously work with the different rules, but it’s gone now.) To construct this guide is quite simple: draw a straight line from one corner of your frame to the diagonally opposed corner, then draw a right angle line from this line to the opposing corner of the image. The elegance of this rule works in direct relation to it’s simplicity, which is why I work with it so often.

Example of Golden Section Compositional Guide

The Golden Section is close relative to the rule of thirds, but because of the asymmetric layout of the grid images composed using this rule can be pereceived as being more powerful. I tend to use this rule when working on single, easily defined subjects.

Example of Spiral Compositional Guide

The Fibonacci Spiral , which is built upon the Golden Section, is a wonderful compositional guideline that will give you very sophisticated compositions, but it is devilishly hard to work with. Trying to build a spiral line in a photographic composition is not easy, unlike a painter we cannot always find a “convenient” branch to close off part of the frame. As you can see I have done the best I can to match the line of the spiral but had to distort it to achieve my goal which was a well composed image not adhearance to the rule.

Example of Diagonal Compositional Guide

Finally we have Diagonals. These, too are related to the Golden Section and have been in use for centuries. My use of them is limited because I don’t see things in that manner.

There you have it, these are the different compositional tools that we have available to us. I know that judicious application and manipulation of these rules are part of why my clients love my photographs, using these rules will help anyone get better pictures.