Rule of Thirds
In this four-part series you will be introduced to the four basic elements of composition for real estate photography and airbnb photography. The purpose of this series is to help you develop an understanding of how to photograph the interior and exterior spaces before we dive into more advanced technical elements in upcoming posts. There are several elements of composition when it comes to photography, however the fundamental elements that are discussed herein for this photography discipline are the rule of thirds, line, depth, and balance.
The rule of thirds is your basic starting point when composing a real estate photograph, where you establish what will be in the photograph and set the foundation for the other elements. Simply put, the rule of thirds is a guideline for composing photographs utilising two imaginary two vertical and two horizontal lines.
If you have been reading the weekly ‘Workshop Wednesday‘ articles, you would note that almost all composition breakdowns begin by applying the rule of thirds to the image. The rule of thirds helps create a set of ‘blueprints’ for the incorporation of other elements. Most digital cameras can make these lines appear on the LCD screen which makes this process even easier.
Interior photography for Airbnb and vacation rental properties is quite different to traditional real estate photography, however it does utilise the foundations of this discipline and combines them with the elements of architectural photography and magazine-worthy interior photography. More energy and time are invested into each composition with a higher attention to detail to create images that will be repeatedly viewed online with the purpose of securing consecutive bookings for many years to come. However, applying the rule of thirds will still be your starting point. In next week’s article we discuss ‘lines’ within a composition.
