Lots of you got involved in last week’s challenge ‘phones’ well done! This week we want you back on your actual cameras and we want you turning your attention to the trees, but more specifically their leaves! Lots of detail to be found in leaves, interesting patterns, shadows, reflections, mottled sun shining through, etc.
Make sure you read to the end of this post, there’s a little bonus in there for you**
Share your photographs of leaves – make sure it’s a NEW photo for this challenge! You have to take your camera and go take a NEW photo for this one, no photos from your previously shot leaves folder, got it!
Tag your photos with #dPSLeaves and make sure you tag us on social media.
This leaf was on its plant on a rocky bridge in Scotland, they were in shadow and this one was sitting out in the sun.
During Covid lockdown here in Melbourne, I’d go walking each day with my kids, challenge myself to find a new leaf.
Sun burning through a tree on a cold day here in Melbourne, over-exposed to kill detail and give it a ghostly look.
Well, you get the idea, we want to see you be creative with leaves! Simple really… Take a simple, easy to find subject and try to make it stand out through working on your skill and trial & error! Mostly we’re shooting digital I guess, so it doesn’t really cost much to try, try and try again!
**Here’s that little bonus I was talking about, we want to hear YOUR weekly challenge theme ideas – make sure when you post your photo below that you let us know your theme that you’d like everyone to try! We’ll feature your photo for that challenge.
If you get stuck for ideas, jump into the Facebook group and see what others are doing!
How do I upload my photo to the comments?
Simply upload your shot into the comments field (look for the little camera icon in the Disqus comments section) and they’ll get embedded for us all to see. Or, if you’d prefer, upload them to your favorite photo-sharing site and leave the link to them.
It’s a redesign of Sigma’s popular 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art lens, but “reborn for mirrorless and empowered through Sigma’s [latest] technology.” Specifically, you can expect superior optical performance compared to the original 35mm f/1.4, especially in terms of bokeh quality and aberration reduction; Sigma also promises “fast and quiet AF,” plus “a professional feature-set” packed into “a compact body.”
I’m a fan of the Sigma Art line, but I’ve been frequently frustrated by the size and heft of the lenses. Fortunately, the 35mm f/1.4 addresses these problems. Sigma rates it as “significantly smaller and lighter than the existing 35mm f/1.4,” and while I wouldn’t go that far (it’s about 0.6 in/15 mm shorter and 0.7 oz/20 g lighter), the lens should balance better on Sony mirrorless cameras – especially Sony APS-C models – than its predecessor.
Above, I mentioned the improved optical performance on the new 35mm f/1.4. Sigma’s anti-flare and anti-ghosting technology, as well as low dispersion elements designed to combat aberrations, guarantees superb clarity even in tricky shooting conditions. And you can expect improvement to the (already impressive) bokeh, thanks to the 11 aperture blades, compared to 9 on the previous version.
Interestingly, Sigma has added an aperture ring to the redesigned 35mm. You have the option to adjust the aperture via the camera dials, but for those who prefer a more tactile shooting experience, manual aperture selection is always an option. The lens is also dustproof and splashproof, so the 35mm f/1.4 can be used successfully for outdoor event photography, street photography, and even landscape work. And while I haven’t had the opportunity to hold the 35mm f/1.4 in my hands, I’m confident that it, like all of Sigma’s Art lenses, can take a significant beating.
The Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG DN Art should appeal to plenty of photographers, especially portrait shooters in need of stunning background bokeh in a portable (and inexpensive) package, street photographers after a wider focal length, and event photographers looking for stunning optics and a fast maximum aperture. But I can also see the 35mm f/1.4 working as a travel lens, an architectural lens, and even a landscape lens.
The brand-new Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG DN Art is currently available for preorder, and you can grab it for just $899 USD. Expect the lens to start shipping in May.
Now over to you:
Are you impressed by the Sigma 35mm f/1.4? What do you think of it? Have you used the older version, and how do you think the new version will measure up? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Many people have attempted to capture a picture of the bright ball of light that governs the night sky, but getting your moon photography settings just right can be quite tricky. It’s easy to get frustrated when taking photos of the moon, especially when so many moon shots online look crisp and clear.
Fortunately, capturing great moon shots isn’t too difficult once you wrap your head around a few basic elements. With a little patience and practice, you’ll be taking excellent photos of the moon in no time at all!
Moon photography settings: the basics
The first thing to know about shooting the moon is that it’s deceptively bright. You might not think of this giant ball of rock as particularly luminous when compared to the sun, but it puts out way more light than you might think. This makes it tricky to calculate exposure and get your other moon photography settings just right.
The other important item to keep in mind is that the moon is not a slow celestial body. In Greek mythology, Selene, the goddess of the moon, speeds across the night sky in a glowing chariot. Our ancient ancestors knew what they were talking about! If you take a picture of the moon, you have to keep its constant movement in mind; otherwise, you’ll never get a great shot.
The final part of the equation to remember is that the moon, while relatively close in a galactic sense, is pretty far away when you look at it from the perspective of a photographer. If you want a good picture of the moon, you need at least a 200mm lens – and even then, it’s best to use a crop-sensor camera for a bit more reach. So a focal length of 300mm or greater is recommended, and photographing the moon is one time when megapixels really do matter. Unless you have a very long zoom lens, you’ll be cropping your images quite a bit.
If you want a simple answer to the question of what moon photography settings to use, here’s my advice:
Always shoot in RAW; that way, you have plenty of room to edit the colors, sharpness, and other elements of your photo afterward.
Nikon D500 | Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II | 200mm | f/4.8 | 1/200s | ISO 640
While the above advice is a good starting point, you will need to experiment and figure out which settings are right for you. It’s a good idea to dive a little deeper into aperture, shutter speed, and ISO to find out what effect they have on your moon photos so you can get the shots you’re aiming for.
Now let’s take a closer look at the best moon photography settings:
1. Use Manual mode
This might be intimidating if you’re used to letting your camera make exposure decisions for you, but moon photography is a great way to learn Manual mode.
Your camera knows what to do in most well-lit situations, but shooting the moon isn’t one of them. You have to take control, and Manual mode lets you choose the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO – all of which are critical to getting good pictures of the moon. You must be very specific about your exposure settings, and Manual mode lets you dial in the precise values you need.
Dim morning light meant I had a bit more freedom to adjust my exposure settings, which was very easy to do in Manual mode.
Nikon D500 | Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II | 200mm | f/4 | 1/180s | ISO 200
2. Shoot in RAW
You have enough to worry about when taking pictures of the moon: exposure settings, weather concerns, cloud cover, foreground obstructions…and that’s just the beginning.
Setting the right white balance and making sure your highlights and shadows are perfectly captured is almost impossible to do in the moment. Thankfully, RAW can save the day.
This is the unprocessed RAW file straight out of my camera.
Nikon D500 | Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II | 200mm | f/4 | 1/180s | ISO 200
Shooting in RAW gives you ultimate flexibility when editing your moon photos in a program such as Lightroom. You can adjust the exposure, tweak the sharpening, bring out details you might have missed, and of course, adjust the white balance to your heart’s content.
The JPEG format is fine for many photographic situations, but not moon photography. For best results, use RAW.
The exact same image as above, but after the RAW file was processed in Lightroom. Adjustments include white balance, boosted exposure, and tweaks to the highlights/shadows.
3. Use a fast shutter speed
Shutter speed is a good place to start when thinking about moon photography settings because of how fast the moon moves across the sky. Similar to sports photography, you’ll need a fast shutter speed to freeze the motion.
1/180s is a good starting point, but if you can go higher without increasing your ISO, I recommend doing so. 1/250s is good and so is 1/300s (go beyond that, and you start to get diminishing returns).
My 1/10s shutter speed was much too slow, and the picture is blurry as a result. 1/10s lets in a lot of light, but the moon moves too much to get a crisp, sharp picture at that shutter speed. Compare this to the image at the end of the article, and you will notice a huge difference!
Cameras have come a long way, and what used to be considered a crazy high ISO – like 3200 or 6400 – is now easily achieved without a huge loss in image quality. Things are a bit different when taking photos of the moon, though. Lower ISOs are always preferable, and that holds doubly true for photos of our nearest celestial neighbor.
ISO 100 or 200 is best, but that might not be realistic given the lens you’re using. Generally speaking, you should be fine with ISO 800 or lower, partly because you will get a cleaner image, but also because you will have more leeway when editing your RAW files afterward.
5. Use a small aperture, but not too small
Most lenses have what’s known as a sweet spot, where the image isn’t too soft and chromatic aberration is well-controlled. This sweet spot isn’t usually at the widest or smallest aperture, but somewhere in the middle.
For that reason, I like to take pictures of the full moon at an aperture between f/4 and f/8. However, the optimal aperture will depend on your particular lens and the type of photos you’re taking.
A crescent moon is very dim! Normally, I recommend a smaller aperture, but for this shot, I needed all the light I could get. I used a large aperture of f/2.8 and an unusually slow shutter speed to capture this celestial dance between the moon and Venus.
Nikon D7100 | Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II | 180mm | f/2.8 | 1/90s | ISO 100
Honestly, of all the moon photography settings to worry about, I would put aperture at the bottom of my list. Before you consider the aperture, make sure you have a fast shutter speed and the lowest possible ISO. Finally, adjust your aperture until you get a picture you like.
Even if your photos are not tack-sharp because you had to shoot wide open, it’s a trade-off I recommend making. I would rather have a slightly blurry result than a higher ISO setting that will result in noise, especially in the deep blacks of the night sky.
6. Underexpose slightly
It might seem counterintuitive, but when taking pictures of the moon, you don’t want your images to be as bright as possible. I get my best results when underexposing by one stop or more, depending on the situation.
The easiest way to do this is to set your aperture, shutter speed, and ISO so your light meter indicates a properly exposed picture. Then drop the exposure by one or two stops. The result is a picture without any blown highlights and plenty of room for editing (as long as you make sure to shoot in RAW).
My light meter told me this photo was properly exposed – but in the end, the moon was too bright. I should have dropped the exposure to darken the image.
Nikon D500 | Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II | 200mm | f/4 | 1/200s | ISO 360
I also recommend using spot or center-weighted metering when doing moon photography. The moon is extraordinarily bright compared to the dark sky around it, which causes all sorts of confusion for your camera’s light meter. Telling your camera to meter based on one small portion of the scene (i.e. the moon) will help you get a better initial exposure value, one that you can then fine-tune.
7. Get creative
Taking pictures of the moon is enthralling, especially if you have never done it before. But after a few shots of that big bright ball of light in the sky, start thinking of a new approach. Try putting trees, buildings, or other objects between you and the moon. Experiment with taking pictures during the waxing or waning crescent phase.
Instead of taking one single picture of the moon during a lunar eclipse, I took 20 and combined them in Photoshop. The end result was much more visually interesting than a single shot would’ve been.
Also, try getting shots at dawn or dusk when you can catch the sky in a rich blue or purple. These are simple, fun ways of taking pictures of the moon that can produce some unexpected results.
8. Manually focus to infinity
Your camera’s autofocus might struggle when it comes to getting pictures of the moon, but you can take care of this by adjusting your lens’s focus point manually.
Make sure your lens is focused as far out as it will go (this is often indicated by an infinity symbol on the lens barrel).
There’s no magic or secret sauce when it comes to getting great shots of the moon. The only real trick is to get the right moon photography settings and to keep practicing until you’re happy with the results.
Try some of these tips as a starting point, and then branch out and see what you can come up with. You might be surprised at the pictures you’re able to take!
Moon photography settings FAQ
Can I take a picture of the moon with my phone?
It’s possible, but this is an area where a DSLR or mirrorless camera with full manual controls really has the edge. A mobile phone can’t zoom in very far, and even those that do have optical zoom lack the light-gathering ability required for good moon shots. That’s not to say it can’t be done, but you’ll likely get significantly better results with a dedicated camera.
Do I need an expensive zoom lens to get a picture of the moon?
A zoom lens helps, but it doesn’t have to be expensive. Even a basic 55-250mm kit lens, like the one that might have come with your camera when you bought it, is fine. Just make sure to follow some of the tips in this article, and you can get some good moon pictures.
What white balance setting should I use to get a picture of the moon?
That really depends, and there’s not always a good answer. Some people like to use the Daylight setting because the moon is reflecting the sunlight and has no actual light of its own. Just make sure you shoot in RAW so you can adjust your white balance after you take the picture.
How do I keep both the moon and the foreground in focus?
First, make sure you are using a small aperture like f/8 or f/11, which will give a much wider depth of field. In addition, you need to put a lot of space between you and your foreground objects. If you’re shooting through tree branches in your own backyard, they will always end up far too blurry. Position yourself so the trees, buildings, or other foreground objects are farther away; this will help make sure they are more in focus.
How do I get the moon to look so big? My moon pictures never look like the professional shots I see online.
Many people have asked me this, and it all comes down to your lens. A longer focal length will make the moon appear larger. If you don’t have a long lens, you can rent one for the few days that a bright full moon is visible. Many professional moon pictures are also cropped, and if you use a very high megapixel camera, you have a great deal of freedom to crop without a huge drop in quality.
If you’re looking for some fun photo manipulation ideas to create stunning art, you’ve come to the right place.
Today, manipulating digital photography is a quick and easy process. Want to generate a double-exposure look? Create a tilt-shift effect? Simulate a fisheye lens? All these options and more are accessible thanks to image manipulation programs like Photoshop.
So here are 11 photo manipulation ideas to get your creative juices flowing!
When viewing a landscape from a distance, the scene looks uniformly focused to our eyes. However, when we look at a fake or model landscape, our physical proximity to the miniature scene creates some interesting optical effects.
But you don’t need a fake landscape to create this “tilt-shift” effect. With the right lenses, you can achieve it in-camera – or you can replicate the phenomenon in post-processing!
Canon 5D Mark II | Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM | f/4 | 1/100s | ISO 160
Anaglyph 3D renderings are made up of two differently filtered and slightly offset colored images. When viewed through special glasses, the two different colors are seen by different eyes, creating a 3D effect.
Creating an anaglyph 3D image in Photoshop is easy. First, open a photo and duplicate the Background layer twice. Select one of the duplicated layers and click on the FX icon at the bottom of the Layers panel. Select Blending Options – this will open the Layer Style window. Uncheck the G and B checkboxes next to Channels in the central panel. Then click OK.
Next, select the other duplicated layer. Click on the FX icon at the bottom of the Layers panel and select Blending Options again. This time, when the Layer Style window opens, uncheck the R checkbox. Click OK.
Finally, select one of the duplicated layers and nudge it slightly to the left or right using the mouse or the directional keys on the keyboard. The colors in the layers will separate, generating an anaglyph effect.
Photo manipulation ideas inspired by camera equipment can achieve engaging results. A fisheye lens is an ultra-wide-angle that produces a large amount of distortion, creating distinctive panoramic or hemispherical images.
To create a circular fisheye effect, open an image and select the Elliptical Marquee tool. Set the Style dropdown on the top menu to Fixed Ratio and drag the Marquee tool over the center of the image. Click Filter > Distort > Spherize. Adjust the amount of distortion you’d like in the pop-up panel (I usually leave the slider at 100%). Click OK.
To isolate the Spherized section from the rest of the image, keep the Spherized layer selected. Right-click inside the perimeter of the Spherized layer, then hit Select Inverse.
Next, right-click on the outside of the circle and select Fill. In the Fill pop-up box, make sure the Contents dropdown menu is set to Black, the Mode is set to Normal, and the Opacity is set to 100%. Click OK.
The area outside the Spherized subject will fill with black, isolating the fisheye effect.
4. Combine two images for a double exposure effect
Water photo: Canon 5D Mark II | Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM | f/10 | 1/500s | ISO 100
Fern photo: Canon 5D Mark II | Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II with extension tubes | f/2.8 | 1/80s | ISO 100
From the days of early photography, shooters have gone to considerable lengths to avoid ghosting and double exposures. However, some photographers generate multiple exposures deliberately for creative purposes.
Double exposures can be made in-camera (both digitally and on film), but they can also be imitated in Photoshop.
This article demonstrates a simple way to make a double exposure effect in post-production.
5. Simulate an infrared effect
Infrared photography captures wavelengths of light that operate outside the visible spectrum.
When bright light reaches your camera, it can reflect off different parts of the lens to create an interesting flare effect.
While lens flare is sometimes unwanted, it can have interesting creative applications. In this article, we show you how to add a lens flare to an image with Photoshop.
7. Create a sepia look with Photoshop
Canon 5D Mark IV | Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM | f/8 | 1/200 | ISO 400
Sepia is a warm brown tone named after the pigment derived from the ink sac of the cuttlefish genus Sepia. In photography, the term sepia refers to a form of print toning. The use of sepia in photography began in the 1880s, and today the beautiful warmth of sepia toning is associated with age and history.
To apply a sepia tone to a photograph in Photoshop, first open an image. Create a Curves adjustment layer and adjust the curve to introduce a faded aesthetic:
The next step is to set the Photoshop foreground color to around the #35322e mark and the background color to around #cebbab. Click on the Create New Fill Or Adjustment Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel and select the Gradient Map option. This will apply a gradient sourced from the foreground and background color selections.
Select the Gradient Map layer in the Layers panel and open the Properties panel. In the Properties tab, click on the strip of graduated color to open the Gradient Editor.
Once in the Gradient Editor, make sure the Gradient Type is set to Solid and the Smoothness to 100%. Here’s what the window should look like:
Finally, feel free to make adjustments to the Gradient Map (this will change the sepia effect). Once you have finished preparing the Gradient Editor, click OK. And you’re done!
8. Apply an Instagram-like filter in Photoshop
Canon 5D Mark IV | Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM | f/4 | 1/250s | ISO 100
Instagram gives users the option to easily customize images or videos before uploading them to the social media platform. And with varied and eye-catching results, many users have looked to emulate Instagram filters in Photoshop!
If you are interested in applying Instagram-inspired effects to your photography work outside of the social media platform, this tutorial might come in handy.
9. Create a Lomography-inspired effect
Canon 5D Mark IV | Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM | f/8 | 1/320s | ISO 200
Named after the optics manufacturer Lomo, Lomography makes use of the unpredictable and unique optical traits of plastic cameras and alternative processing techniques. And with the rise of digital photography, the Lomo aesthetic has spread to digital manipulation techniques.
While there is no single Lomography look, different Photoshop techniques have been developed to recreate Lomography-type effects.
To produce a Lomo-inspired digital photograph, first open an image in Photoshop. For a more traditional look, you can crop the photo into a square using the Crop tool.
Next, create a Curves adjustment layer. In the Curves histogram, click on the RGB dropdown menu and select Red. Make a shallow S curve within the histogram.
Next, select Green from the RGB dropdown menu and make a slightly more pronounced S curve. Lastly, select the Blue channel from the RGB dropdown menu and make an S curve similar to the green S curve.
Keep in mind that the curves don’t have to mirror each other exactly – what we are aiming for is a well-saturated image with considerable contrast and a distinctive hue. For the best results, I recommend experimenting! You can also add some grain via Filter > Noise > Add Noise.
Lomographic images also tend to have pronounced vignettes. To emulate this effect, duplicate the original image layer. Then, with the Lasso tool selected, draw a loose oval or circle around the center of the image area. Click Select > Modify > Feather. Set the Feather Radius to 250 pixels (the maximum) and click OK.
Next, click on Select > Inverse. With the inverse selection active, create a Levels adjustment layer. In the Levels panel, adjust the sliders to introduce a dark vignette around the edges of the image (the effect will vary from photo to photo, so some experimentation may be required!).
10. Apply a Sabattier effect in Photoshop
The Sabattier effect is one of many photo manipulation ideas that originated in the darkroom. The process involves rendering a negative or print either partially or completely tonally reversed. In other words, dark areas in the image become light and light areas become dark – for an effect known as solarization.
In the darkroom, this Sabattier effect can occur when a semi-developed print or negative is re-exposed to light for a brief moment; the result is a surreal, eye-catching version of the photo.
Of course, you can also recreate the Sabattier effect in Photoshop with two simple methods:
Sabattier method 1
The first technique applies a solarizing filter directly to your photo.
First, open an image and duplicate it. With the duplicate layer selected, click Filter > Stylize > Solarize. That’s it! The image will instantly take on a solarized aesthetic.
For a more classic solarization effect, convert the image to black and white with a Black and White adjustment layer. Different black and white settings will alter the appearance of the solarization, so try a few different presets or make your own custom adjustments.
Sabattier method 2
While the Solarize filter method works well, it doesn’t offer a lot of creative control – it’s just a straight conversion. To make a less destructive and more customizable solarization effect, open your image in Photoshop and add a Black and White adjustment layer (if desired). Create a Curves adjustment layer.
In the adjustment layer, create this curve:
From there, you can adjust the curve for a dramatic look. Depending on the image, you can also reverse the Curves adjustment layer for a more pronounced or subtle effect. Since you’re working non-destructively with an adjustment layer, this process can easily be undone at any point.
11. Simulate a glitch effect
Canon 5D Mark II | Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM | f/4 | 1/250s | ISO 100
Last (but not least!) on our list of photo manipulation ideas is a glitch effect simulation.
Glitches are flaws in a digital medium. Inherent in our modern technological landscape, true glitch art is made by capturing organic glitches, manually corrupting digital media, or by physically manipulating electronic devices to cultivate glitched imagery. The process can be quite tricky, however – so simulating a glitch effect can be an easier way to convey the fragility of digital media.
To discover how to create a glitch effect in Photoshop, check out our step-by-step tutorial.
Photo manipulation ideas: conclusion
From Lomography-inspired effects to simulated glitch art, the creative possibilities of photography are just about limitless. So if you find yourself in a creative rut, give one of the photo manipulation ideas from this list a try – you never know what new perspectives your manipulations might inspire!
Now over to you:
What are your favorite types of photo manipulation? Share your thoughts (and examples!) in the comments below.
If you’ve been struggling to understand the rule of thirds, or if you’re simply looking for rule of thirds inspiration, you’ve come to the right place.
Let’s get started!
1. Focus
The rule of thirds was designed to simplify artistic composition. The rule suggests that you break down scenes into nine equal parts separated by two evenly spaced horizontal and vertical lines, like this:
Important compositional elements can then be positioned along the lines of the grid, in the off-center rectangles, or at the grid’s intersections.
In this photograph of a native fern (above), the sharpest point aligns with the top-left intersection of the rule of thirds grid. This composition generates more interest and depth than a centered subject, engaging the viewer and guiding the eye.
In this street scene, the majority of the subjects are positioned in off-center rectangles. Additionally, the two white road lines roughly align with the two horizontal gridlines. This distribution of subjects activates the edges of the photograph, adding a sense of expansion and narrative.
3. Pattern
Canon 5D Mark II | Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM | f/4 | 1/100 | ISO 250
The pattern in this decorative window suggests an overall uniformity. However, the clearest pattern elements are only visible in the upper-left corner of the rule of thirds grid.
This invites the viewer’s eye to explore the various intricate perspectives that make up the scene.
4. Insects
Canon 5D Mark II | Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II with extension tubes | f/4.5 | 1/1000s | ISO 400
Here’s a fun rule of thirds example with an insect!
Insects can be tricky to photograph, but applying the rule of thirds can help create a more dynamic composition. If you compose with an insect off-center, you’ll capture a more natural image that alludes to the movement and life of a living creature.
One of the main reasons for observing the rule of thirds is to discourage photographers from placing a subject at the center of a photograph. With the help of the rule of thirds, you can create more engaging interactions between the image and the viewer.
We know the standard trajectory of an aircraft. But in the example above, by framing the subject off-center, I was able to generate a clear sense of motion.
6. Depth
Canon 5D Mark II | Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM | f/4 | 1/250s | ISO 100
There are many ways to increase the sense of depth in a photograph. By offsetting the sharply focused main subject (i.e., by following the rule of thirds!), you can achieve a sense of spaciousness and three-dimensionality throughout your image.
7. Narrative
Canon 5D Mark II | Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM | f/7.1 | 1/100s | ISO 100
A lot is happening in the center of this image. However, the driving figure behind the central feature is positioned off to the left, creating a shadowy clue to the story behind the photograph.
8. It doesn’t have to be perfect
Canon 5D Mark IV | Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM | f/11 | 1/500s | ISO 100
Despite its name, the rule of thirds is more like a guide than an unbreakable law. In the image above, three ducks make their way across a thunderous cloudscape. However, while one of the ducks is precisely aligned with the right vertical of the grid, the other two ducks are positioned independently on either side.
Nevertheless, the offset position of the ducks counterbalances the weight of the storm clouds, creating a dramatic juxtaposition. It just goes to show that the rule of thirds can be a flexible guide rather than a rigid rule.
9. Directing the eye
Canon 5D Mark II | Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II with extension tubes | f/2.2 | 1/800s | ISO 200
In this image, the emphasis is placed squarely on select areas of the flower. By positioning the subject away from the image center, you can draw the viewer’s eye toward the frame’s corners.
10. Weight
Canon 5D Mark IV | Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM | f/7.1 | 1/100s | ISO 100
Every element in a composition has a weight, one that’s based on perceptions and real-life experience.
Darker, denser subject matter feels heavier than lighter, airier subject matter. Using the rule of thirds to group darker or lighter subject matter together in one area of an image can emphasize this weight. In the image above, lighter areas toward the bottom contrast with a dense area of shadow in the top third of the frame.
11. Balance
Canon 5D Mark II | Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM | f/6.3 | 1/125s | ISO 100
The canopy of leaves creates an engaging pattern, punctuated by the dark branches of trees – the heaviest of which are positioned toward the edges of the image.
With the help of the rule of thirds, this balance of lightness and heaviness creates an interesting and harmonious composition.
12. Less can be more
Canon 5D Mark II | Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM | f/6.3 | 1/250s | ISO 100
These rule of thirds examples can be a handy reminder that less is often more. By organizing subjects in accordance with the rule of thirds grid, you can give an image room to generate its own visual momentum.
13. Adding detail
Canon 5D Mark IV | Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II with extension tubes | f/1.8 | 1/640s | ISO 100
This macro image of a lily contains plenty of information around the central area of the composition. However, additional off-center details make the most of the image space, adding a sense of expansive detail to the photograph.
14. Abstraction
Canon 5D Mark II | Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II with extension tubes | f/1.8 | 1/40s | ISO 320
Even abstract photography can benefit from the rule of thirds. Here, I’ve positioned an out-of-focus leaf so it intersects with the rule of thirds gridline.
15. Space
Canon 5D Mark IV | Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM | f/8 | 1/160s | ISO 100
When a scene is full of information, incorporating an area of reduced activity can add more depth.
So rather than aligning a subject with the rule of thirds grid, try aligning the grid with an emptier portion of the scene. This allows the viewer to visually digest the image and better grasp the scene’s context and behavior.
Rule of thirds examples: final words
As these 15 rule of thirds examples have demonstrated, having a good grounding in compositional theory can be highly useful!
So while the rule of thirds is more like a guide than a strict rule, use it to help you arrange the various elements of your photos.
Now over to you:
Do you use the rule of thirds in your photography? Share some of your own rule of thirds examples in the comments below!
