Thirds, Lines, and Fields

Great photographers know some tricks that the average guy with a camera
would do well to imitate. This post will explore three of them: The Rule of
Thirds, Leading Lines, and Depth of Field. I found beautiful examples of
each on the National Geographic website. I can’t jet off to New York to find
the perfect, picturesque scene, but I did my best, around my own area, to
mimic the style and photographic element (trick) used in each photo.

Rule of Thirds

This photograph was taken by Michael Medford in Adirondack Park, New
York, for National Geographic. It’s featured in a photo gallery to “Celebrate
the Arrival of Fall.”

Mr. Medford is utilizing the Rule of Thirds. The most obvious is the horizon
which lines up across the top third of the picture. The lake and the mountain
peak are right on the left vertical line and both are close to the intersections of
the top and bottom third lines.

 

My Turn (Rule of Thirds)

I went to Municipal Park, Boise Idaho and tried taking my own photo using the
rule of thirds.

Here I lined up the waterfall on the right vertical line of thirds and the driftwood
on the intersection of the lower horizontal and right vertical lines. I also tried to
have the closer rocks fill the lower third of the photo.

 

Leading Lines

Here is another photo by Michael Medford for National Geographic, this time, in
Acadia National Park, Maine.

The photographic element that stands out most is leading lines. The pathway
through the trees draws your eyes all the way to the end of it.

My Turn (Leading Lines)

This bridge/pathway is also in Municipal Park in Boise, Idaho. It felt like the
perfect spot to try a photo with leading lines.

The railings on either side of the pathway draw your eyes to the end. You might
focus on the rope or follow the next set of railings around the corner.

 

Depth of Field

This final picture by Michael Medford, which is featured on National Geographic,
was taken on the Allagash River in Main.

The photographic element demonstrated here is Depth of field. The canoe is the
first object you see. When you look beyond the canoe, you see the water leading
up to the trees and finally, the moon behind some clouds.

 

My Turn (Depth of Field)

I took this photo at Eagle Island Park in Eagle Idaho.

I tried to imitate the look of Mr. Medford’s photograph. Instead of a canoe, I
had to settle for some tall grass. Beyond the grass is some organic debris in
the water. Next you might notice the reflection of trees and shrubs in the water
leading up to the actual foliage.

 

Summary

Professional photographers utilize many tips and tricks that result in beautiful
photography, but remembering just the Rule of Thirds, Leading Lines, and Depth
of Field, while snapping photos, might help the rest of us to look like we know
what we’re doing.