80 LandScape photographY: From SnapShotS to great ShotS
The rule of thirds goes further by dividing the picture into thirds from left to right
(Figure 4.4). This results in two vertical lines at the divisions, which become useful
places to put strong verticals in a landscape. Which side you put your photographic
element on will depend a lot on the scene, but because we look at things from left
to right in the Western culture, there is a difference in the way that a composition
looks when the strong element is on the left versus the right. In Figure 4.5, there is a
strong visual element on the right which creates a dynamic image that goes against
our Western way of looking.ISO 100
1/125 sec.
f/
115mm
(APS-C)FIgure 4.
The rule of thirds
then divides the
picture vertically
into thirds.
FIgure 4.
Here the strong
vertical of Balanced
rock in Arches
National Park lines
up closely with the
rule of thirds.