The Rule of Thirds
&
Hot Spots
The Rule of Thirds
The rule of thirds suggests that we mentally divide our frame (or scene) into 1/3 segments both vertically and horizontally, then compose our scene so that our main focal point lies either along one of these imaginary “third” lines, or on one of the hotspots where these lines would intersect. When we talk about focal point, we are talking about the point in your photo where you want to draw the most attention to. This is one of the reasons why the rule of thirds has such a high visual impact. Our eyes become drawn through the image, rather than right to the centre. The photo becomes more engaging to the viewer, as the scene is revealed in stages as the eye passes through the main point of focus, through the remainder of the image.