Mobile photography (I): Rule of thirds and Law of the horizon

You don't have to be a top-level photographer, or have a professional camera to be able to capture quality photos with a mobile phone, and even more so if we take into account that mobile phones increasingly have better cameras. We are going to gradually explain some keys to get better photos. And today we are going to start talking about the Rule of Thirds and the Law of the Horizon.

Rule of thirds

When we capture a photograph, such as a landscape, the normal thing for any user who has not captured many photographs or who does not have any knowledge, is to center the elements. For example, in a sunset, we might think that the best thing is that the center of the photo is the Sun setting behind the horizon. This would be a mistake in almost all cases.

If you have learned a little about photography, you know that one of the things that is first learned, and therefore taught, is the rule of thirds, and if you don't know it, don't worry, because that's precisely what we're going to talk about.

The rule of thirds is a guide for the composition of the photograph. A simple way to understand the rule of thirds is to divide any photograph into three, both vertically and horizontally. Thus, we are left with a rectangle with nine perfect rectangular objects, as you can see below.

Thus, you must locate the elements that you want to highlight in one of the four crosses in the center. That is, one or two thirds both vertically and horizontally. Of course, this is just a rule of thumb. You don't have to be exact. In fact, the rule of thirds actually comes from the golden ratio, which is the one you see below.

The rule of thirds is an approximation, and it doesn't have to be used exactly either. The photograph that you can see is by professional photographer Paco Jiménez, and you can see how the end of the tree is exactly at one of the crosses, in this case following the golden ratio.

Law of the horizon

Along with the rule of thirds, we should also talk about the Law of the horizon. First of all, you have to say something that you should always keep in mind. Horizons must always be horizontal. It is necessary to avoid that these appear inclined. This must be taken into account when capturing the photo, but you can also adjust it later so that the horizon is horizontal. However, the Law of the horizon does not speak of this, but of where to locate the horizon, using the rule of thirds as a reference. The horizon is where the two elements of a landscape separate. For example, the earth and the sky, the water and the earth, or the water and the sky. This horizon line, in addition to being horizontal, must coincide with one of the lines of the thirds of the image (or the golden ratio). Now, since there are two options, which of the two do we choose? That section (land, water or sky) to which we want to give priority is the one that must occupy two thirds, and the other one only one of the thirds. This will depend on whether we want to highlight the cloudy sky, or the waves of the sea. The following photograph, also by Paco Jiménez, illustrates the Law of the Horizon.

Finally, you must bear in mind that this should not always be fulfilled perfectly, but it is a reference because in general it is always fulfilled. In the photo below, it is the line of light from the Sun that is aligned with the rule of thirds (or in this case, the golden ratio).

In short, make sure that the horizon always appears horizontal, and not inclined, and align it to the thirds of the photograph, as well as elements such as the Sun, the Clouds, or a wave in the sea.