The rule of thirds is perhaps the most basic and most often quoted of compositional rules, as applied to photography. It’s very easy to understand, remember and use.

Imagine there’s a tic-tac-toe board superimposed over your viewfinder or LCD screen (some cameras actually have this as a feature). When a scene is divided into thirds in both directions, as in a tic-tac-toe board, all significant elements in your picture should fall on one or more of the dividing lines.

Generally speaking, boundaries (such as the horizon) are less static when they fall on one of the 1/3 lines. “Power Points” mark the intersections of the 1/3 lines and are compositionally the strongest places in the image.

So, in the example shot shown here, moving the camera so that the flower was placed in the lower-right corner made for a much stronger, more interesting image than if it had been placed right smack in the center of the frame.

Note too that a small portion of the flower was allowed to run off the edges of the frame; another very powerful compositional tool.

Ready to learn more than two dozen rules of good composition? Look no further…