Beautiful Flower Photography

The Rule of Thirds in Flower Photography

The rule of thirds is a basic principle in artistic composition.  Imagine that a grid divides your picture into nine equal sections, and then place the most interesting or most important elements of your picture at the intersections of the grid lines while avoiding placing your subject dead center.  This is supposed to create aesthetically pleasing and well balanced photographs.

For instance, which of these flower photographs do you like better?  The one above has the largest bloom centered in the image with the long stem basically dividing the image in half.  It looks okay, but the photo below has much more impact.  I cropped in closer and moved the large bloom to the upper corner at a diagonal to the bloom in the bottom corner.

When applying this rule to flower photography, remember that it’s really a guideline, not a hard and fast rule.  There are many situations in which the subject centered in the frame makes a striking and beautiful shot, as in this example…

So what’s the best way to compose your pictures?  Practice seeing the rule of thirds through your camera (many digital cameras will even display the grid in the viewfinder for you). Then when you find that one stunning blossom that fills the frame you can put the rule of thirds aside and shoot  away.

Eventually, you won’t have to think about the rule of thirds.  When I sat down to look through my images and find examples to illustrate this article, I had a hard time finding poorly composed photographs.  I’ve internalized the rule of thirds through years of taking flower photographs and you will to.

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