In traditional still photography, framing is everything. Because you don’t have a moving image to adjust in real time, you need to capture the exact moment in a single still frame. If you capture too much visual “junk”, viewers might strain to see the subject. If your camera is positioned awkwardly, you may end up getting an image with the top of your subject’s head trimmed off.

Because of the problems involving accurate framing, photographers have long used the “Rule of Thirds” to help define the appropriate size and scope of an image and its subject. The rule is actually quite simple - if you split an image into thirds horizontally and vertically, you will have clearly defined lines that will help you arrange your picture.

As an example, let’s use this image of a refugee from Myanmar (learn more at Wikipedia) taken by David Iliff (used under the CC-By 2.0 license).

You can see if you open the full-size image how the photographer has carefully framed the image with the Rule of Thirds in mind (at least subconsciously). The girl’s hands run along the bottom horizontal line, and the eyes are accented by being placed along the top horizontal line (the usual location for an eye line). Her body is generally between the two vertical lines, and the bulk of the background takes place in the side, making this young girl the obvious focus of the image.

Let’s look at another image, this time by famous American photographer Ansel Adams. Adams’ image of the Hoover Dam (public domain) is a fine example of the rule at work.

Adams takes the approach of lining up elements along the intersections. The Dam itself is placed along the top-left intersection, and the lower part of the river is in the bottom left. The rock formations are placed on the top-right spot, and the water spillway are on the bottom-right. By placing these major four points in these four intersection, Adams makes them more pronounced to the observer.

These principles aren’t just for still photography though. The Rule of Thirds is just as applicable in cinematography. Granted, you are able to experiment more because of the more dynamic and changing nature of the medium, but the basic principles still apply. Just remember to keep your subjects close to the line, and you will have a solid image. And a solid image means a happy viewer.

Those never hurt, right?