The rule of thirds
For other examples:
Henri Cartier-Bresson p. 11
Cristina Garcia Rodero p. 15
Fay Godwin p. 67
Elaine Constantine p. 81
Inzajeano Latif p. 123
Like many, Guy Bourdin loves a good bottom. But rather than putting this one slap bang in the middle of the frame, here he’s added to the eccentricity of the shot by positioning the subject off-centre. Even so, the image is still nicely balanced, or, to put it another way, it doesn’t look ‘wrong’.
That’s because Bourdin has used the ‘rule of thirds’. This means splitting your frame into three sections – either horizontally or vertically – and positioning your focal point in line with this imaginary grid.
If you don’t want to centre your subject, the rule of thirds helps maintain balance.
Many photographers will spit at the mere sight of the rule of thirds because it can feel too calculated. That said, they’re all secretly at it. Just use it as a rough guideline and be careful not to position your subject too near the edge of the frame, or only slightly off-centre, as this can look a little clumsy.
Charles Jourdan campaign
Guy Bourdin
Spring, 1979
42nd Street and Eighth Avenue
Lars Tunbjörk
1997
