Art & Design in Photoshop
Principles of design DFI< @E=F
Bringing the horizon down accentuates the sky
Raising the horizon gives more emphasis to the sea
it’s hard to say exactly why one approach works when another fails. As viewers we have an emotional response to the arrangement that’s difficult to quantify.
O The Rule of Thirds was first written down in 1797, describing how a landscape should be proportioned for the most aesthetically pleasing effect, in J. T. Smith’s book Remarks on Rural Scenery.
O Elements of a photograph will often fall into place without us consciously thinking about their precise position. The image above is a pleasing shot of a Californian motel; but it’s not until we overlay the Rule of Thirds grid, below, that we see exactly why. The palm tree lines up with the left vertical, the roof of the motel with the lower horizontal, dividing this image up into neat, compelling proportions.
In the second approach, we’ve moved the horizon to align with the upper third, so giving emphasis to the sea. To liven this image up, we need to add an element in that wide expanse of blue, which is why the girl in the lifebelt is there. Note that she doesn’t have to align precisely with the power point: these are general principles, not overriding rigid delineations. The lines and points are merely guides. One of the first artists to take the Rule of Thirds to heart was the famous English landscape painter John Constable. In his most celebrated work, The Haywain, he was careful to balance his picture elements according to the rule – although he didn’t of course, opt for a slavish adherence to the precise positioning. But note how the haywain itself, bottom right, is balanced by Constable’s Hay Wain: spot the rule in action
O You don’t need to have the Rule of Thirds in mind when you create compositions; but if you’re stuck for a reason why a montage isn’t working, try applying it and readjust your scene.
the tree, top left.
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