The Diagonal Method Of Composition...

Ken, over on the Inverted Image Flickr group, has found a really interesting site on the use of the "Diagonal Method" of composition in paintings and photographs.

In the article the author discusses how the "Rule of Thirds" when used with equally sized boxes, doesn't really work - not like the "Golden Mean" where the centre box is considerably smaller.

He goes on to suggest that the "Points of Interest" in great paintings and photo's are often found along certain diagonals that can be created when you divide your scene into two equally sized overlapping boxes, and draw diagonals from each corner, thus:

The idea is that perhaps the eyes of your subect, or what's most important in your photograph, are placed along one of these diagonals, and not simply on the "Rule of Thirds" intersections.

Check out the full article here.

It's a fascinating study, and another string to our compositional bow - but as ever, remember that there are no rules, only guide-lines.

Cheers, Rob.