In photography it is best to follow basic aesthetic guidelines that help to create an appealing photo. Three of these “rules” are the rule of thirds, leading lines, and depth of field. These help to ensure our focus on the photograph is directed in the right direction.
In this photograph Peter McKinnon used the rule of thirds to create visual interest. By keeping things out of the center of the photo he was able to create a visual flow to the image. By placing it in one of the intersections of the lines of the thirds he gave a a direct point of focus so that we know what is important in the photo.
I used the rule of thirds to balance the composition of this photo which helps the photo to flow more. It keeps tension out of the photo and helps to increase ease of viewing. There is nothing in the center of the photo making the viewer look around the photo which gives them context to understand what is in the photo.
In this photo Rod used leading lines to lead the viewer right to the subject. This creates movement in the photo as you first look at the photo you go from the center at the bottom and move up toward’s the subject. This is very effective in establishing a focal point and helping to create movement through the photo.
The leading lines in this photograph lead the viewers attention through the rafters and to Wendy’s face. This clarifies the focus of the photo. The flow of the photo moves from the upper right hand side towards the center of the left hand side. There is a lot of clutter in this photo and the leading lines help to clean it up.
Linus Utilized depth of field by adding foreground elements that are out of focus. This creates some interest in the photo but also adds context without distracting the viewers attention to the focal point of the photo. It breaks up what might otherwise have been a cliche photo by intentionally adding in elements that normally we try to avoid getting in photographs.
In this photo I used depth of field to distract any potentially distracting elements in the photo. I was selling this lens so I utilized that depth of field to put tack sharp focus on the details of the lens. This created an appealing aesthetic photo from using the utility purposes of shallow depth of field. There are also parts of the lens that are close up that are out of focus creating more interest in the photos and emphasizing the focal points of it.
These photography guidelines are extremely helpful in composing photos. They can also help to inspire photos from locations we would not previously have thought of shooting at. In photography all rules are meant to be broken, so don’t feel confined to only shooting within these guidelines, but make sure that if you do not you do it intentionally. Understand the rule before you break it and you will create stellar photographs.
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