Sunday, February 2, 2014

Getting to know the Basics- Rule of Thirds, Horizon, and Point of View

Here are a few wonderful examples from this semesters Media Art class.  We are learning the rules of photography and getting familar with our own cameras.  Our focus during the next few weeks will be on specific lessons with assigned subjects to document.  We will progress on to learn how to use Photoshop to create original compositions with our imagery.


Rule of Thirds
The rule of thirds is one of the main compositional rules in visual arts, including painting, design, and photography. This rule is based around the idea that an image should be imagined as being divided into nine equal parts by two equally spaced horizontal lines and two similar vertical lines, as shown in the photograph below. The rule continues on to state the important elements within the photograph, on these lines in order to obtain a successful photograph.

Horizon Line


Point of View

Point of view in photography simply means the position from which the camera sees the scene. Are you looking down on the subject? Are you looking up at the subject? How close are you to the subject? Is there anything between you and the subject? Every decision you make about point of view will change how your viewer sees the photo.

  •   Shooting from eye level
  •   Shooting from below
  •   Shooting from above