Pascal Baetens. Nude Photography. The Art and The Craft. 2007

108 exploring techniques

Rule of thirds

the strongest areas of the picture plane in which to place

your subject are the four intersections of horizontal and vertical

lines dividing the picture into thirds. in Western cultures the eye

reads from left to right, so the right-hand thirds are visually

stronger than the left. An image can have several compositional

elements; in the photograph above there is also a diagonal

thrust from top left to bottom right, intersected by the arrow

shape of the railing and the model’s legs.

basic rules of composition

the perfect composition doesn’t exist; a composition works,

or doesn’t, as a result of a combination of different elements.

there are many rules of composition—too many to include

all of them here. nevertheless, a grasp of the basics will

take you a long way. the rule of thirds, central placing,

diagonals, converging lines, spirals, ovals, triangles,

squares, and circles are often used to compose an image,

and various devices are employed to draw attention to the

main focus. the aim is for the viewer’s eye to travel around

the picture, finding points of interest along the way. studying

compositions that appeal to you in books and at exhibitions

will help you to develop your own image language.