Photography Composition :: Rule of Odds

theartofphotography.tv
/ tedforbes
Continuing on with our composition series - in this video we'll be discussing the Rule of Odds.
A quick note about "rules" - I don't particularly care for the term "rule" because of the implication that it must be adhered to for a composition to work. This is not true at all. Rather than rules - think of them as guidelines for creating interest in a composition. Use them when you need to create that interest - blow them off when you don't.
Having said that though - practice all of these rules as we go through them with your own camera and photography. Having them become second nature is essential to moving forward in your own abilities.
The Rule of Odds states that framing your subject with 2 surrounding objects (thus creating an odd number of 3) suggests balance and harmony visually. We tend to prefer balance and feel comfortable with these groupings of 3. Groups of 2 or 4 can sometimes create a sense of competition where as the odd groupings tend to balance that a bit. This is a very subjective rule, but it does create balance.
Remember though that odd numbers really just refer to the number 3. Objects of 5 or more create more density than the viewer will perceive and the effect is null at that point. Larger numbers of objects, however can be divided visually into groupings of 3, thus bringing more cohesion to the composition.

[@rodfaircloth35]

I dont understand why people COMPLAIN about the talking. you came here for a Lesson. sit down and learn! thank you for the photos and this video. VERY helpful!

[@noriorock]

I really think it should have been be longer...

[@tutubeas10]

It's not the talking itself, what is annoying is the way he talks. I had to mute the video then turned on the subtitles and it worked.

[@spikefivefivefive]

" I can show you better than I can tell you."

[@hassaneljebyly2345]

I think they want photos that they can copy

[@GNU_Linux_for_good]

I second that. More patience, folks.

[@bjeol]

In regards to the lack of practicing among photographers, I believe it has something to do with the over-emphasis on the technological side of photography. Things are advancing so fast that we feel the need acquire the latest and greatest piece of equipment in order to be competent or accomplished, instead of understanding photography's purpose and how to go about achieving that purpose.

[@MOYO2024]

Nick Spicer Well put!

[@secularnevrosis]

+Nick Spicer In music we call it GAS. Gear Acqusition Syndrome. I tend to fall into that trap my self even though I know that some of my best pictures have been taken with stone age era cameras. Composition, timing, ideas and even luck makes for exiting and good photos. There is really no other way to get good at something than to practise alot.

[@toddlavigne6441]

today most photographer are obsessed with the technology. But really digital is digital and it's not changing it's just getting improved quality

[@markharris5771]

Nick Spicer In the 3 years since your comment it has become even more accurate.

[@toddlavigne6441]

Well the profession is is finished, way too easy to get into, therfore too much competition. It does take time and hard work to become good from an artistic point of view, but your average client cares only about the cost these days. Technology had ruined professions in the past, photographers are failing to see the ship is sinking. The truly smart ones have either diversified into other businesses as well as photography or just have closed shop. However you still can carve out a living, but it's not a good one.

[@theartofphotography]

Still experimenting with the studio - thanks for the kind words!

[@pigmentoymadera6098]

I just did read the comments about "too wordy" and "get a point". Well, I am a German that speak english too, and I understand each and every word and each and every message, that Ted try to get over. Maybe...sometimes you don´t need to get to "a point". Sometimes it is just perfect, to put an idea into peoples mind or to push people on to get them on the right way or even a new way? I think so and that is what Ted is doing for me!! And he is doing it that "just perfect"!!! It seems Ted is a very intelligent and educated man that know what he is talking about but loosing "the point" on the way because he want to give this helping hand to open your own mind for the New. Now I was very wordy but got it to a point lol. Ted you are doing well, just perfect, interesting and you get the "New", the idea or that "open my mind" over, to a German. Thank you for all the effort and help.

[@TheUberSchattenjager]

Fantastic video - of the 1000's of how-to-be-a-photographer on you tube, your presentation is amongst the most intelligent, articulate and USEFUL. Very thought provoking and appreciated.

[@theartofphotography]

Thanks!!

[@RimantasLiubertas]

You are watching wrong videos…

[@thegreatvanziniphotos5976]

Here here.

[@Iconofilia]

People who complain about the intro being too long are probably the kind who would not enjoy spending time in a cafe just chatting about photography. Same kind of people who would probably not wait for the right light or the right moment. I'm just saying. Thanks, Ted, for a great chat. I always enjoy your videos.

[@teehee.1862]

Iconofilia nice job making inferences about people you have never met before. i was going on here thinking he would analyze photographs, not 4 minutes of just himself talking. he’s very articulate and intelligent, though, (that’s better than someone saying ‘nice shot, really nice shot’ every picture). and his advices at the start were good. maybe they could had been pushed to the end, so people could watch the meat of this video right at the beginning.

[@stephendeakin2714]

Along with other circumstances your channel has reawakened my photographic interests. Thank you.

[@JoshuaBoldt]

five-years-ago-Ted is just as good at today-Ted :)

[@timothy2204]

Even 7 years later it still holds up really well!

[@rw80]

8 years is also OK :-)

[@MorbidJayGames]

I love this channel man, keep it up! You deserve your own show on a TV network

[@SalemaPsy]

If people don't like they have a great solution: just go away! Mr. Ted looses his time creating this content to share with us, it's his own creative movement so it's his ideas and his point of view. We just have to be thankful by having this youtube chanel with this content.

[@WilliamLesourd]

True, but we can also say what we think can be improved to make the experience of learning even more pleasing. Like please go straight to the point. But as I said some place else, Ted's talks are more pleasing to listen too now (we are early 2017). If I had just been pissed off and gone away without saying a word, he may not have known what was wrong and what was driving people away. No one was rude by saying that they thought it rumbled on a bit. Everyone pointing this problem to him, was just trying to help.

[@dave0992]

Just started following your channel and it is fantastic! i'm in my first year of a photography degree (at the ripe old age of 42) and these videos help so much

[@ssb3556]

People complain that he is too wordy but who cares? I think he is interesting for the duration of the video and it's not like y'all can't spare 10 minutes out of your day

[@CraigKratovil]

Talk all you want Ted. It adds texture and necessary lead-in. Never boring.

[@FrodeBergetonNilsen]

This never gets old. Thanks for posting this. This was a really useful watch for me.

[@alessandrobiondi3569]

Ted Forbes, you rock! I have been watching almost all your episodes, and I can't stop learning.

[@majopgalli]

Love your videos Ted!! It's so appreciated in this time period and specially in some cultures where people don't tend to take time and patience and go deep into knowledge.. incorporating new data process takes time to digest it and apprehend it!! For me, who I'm just starting with photography studies your work is tremendously valuable!! keep on the great work :) (Regards from Argentina)

[@tubadylan]

No wonder I like your videos so much. Musicians make the best photographers, and teachers! Thank you!

[@thaoldmaninthamountian2382]

I don't get it. What he shared with us through introducing the concept, was just as important as the rest of the video. In this culture of right-now-instant-gratification, We have become overly obsessed with "get-to-the-point", when indeed the getting there IS the point. I feel that he did an excellent job. so much so that I clicked the subscribe button.

[@SuperMusikHaus]

It's not at all that he cant introduce the concept or the philosophies of "these are the rules, but not really." I think it was helpful for him to say "this is what it is, but it's not totally rigid," but when it takes up 1/3 of the video at the very beginning, the information can get lost on some people with shorter attention spans or literally less time to do something (its not just about "i want info now, gimme info"). Perhaps if it was placed at the end after stating the rules, it would still be just as effective and helpful.

[@brianhudson5807]

This is really good. It's nice to see a video that gets to the heart of what makes a good photograph and doesn't mention pixels, sharpness, moire and all that peripheral stuff.

[@Mukhtar_Ali]

I saw your series today and its awesome to learn. Thanks.

[@greendeane1]

I,too, have a degree in music and practicing 40 hours a week was not unusual. More so the art of music lent itself to my writing and my photography. It's all about learning structure and best practices and when to abandoned that.

[@theartofphotography]

Well stated!

[@stickyvids15]

Watching this video series in Jan 2020 and it is still excellent and relevant information. Grateful for people like Ted for curating quality content for amateur artists like me... not to mention this information is FREE.

[@stickyvids15]

@Back And Fort I was only referring to the quality of the content. Do you disagree that the composition course is relevant?

[@stickyvids15]

@Back And FortThanks for the clarification, I misunderstood. It's too bad that is what his channel has turned into. Seems like KZbin has become entirely focused on views just like most other social media platforms these days.

[@chrisgottert1833]

Thanks a lot! Your descriptions and explanations are always so enlightening and compact👏🏼👌🏻

[@neilbixby6120]

P.S. I appreciated your detailed intro. You never want to lose sight of the basics .

[@mjfalcon007]

Excellent video Ted, thank you for taking the time to explain the Rule of Odds. I wasn’t aware of this rule but will keep in mind in future.

[@distagon6052]

So glad you mentioned practice around the house. You helped to affirm my use of the living room as a kind of self-portrait studio as I learn contrast control on black and white film with various filters. Reading is one thing doing experiments another, I'd say. Gotta practice to be good.

[@Solarsystem50]

Very nice. The best channel in KZbin about this topic.

[@MOYO2024]

Amazing, concise and clear explanation of the rule of odds! Thank you!

[@WorldTurndUpsideDown]

Could you talk about aspect ratio? I find the 1:1 images really interesting but would like to hear about the benefits of the different ratios and what guidelines or rules work best.

[@winedemonium]

These episodes are really valuable. Thank you so much!

[@2ears1mouth786]

I loved the point about practise... I totally understand where you're coming from as well because I've been studying the violin for 9 years now but have never *practised* photography in the same way. And that doesn't make much sense, when I think about it.

[@sarabenaglio2727]

My teacher uses ur videos to help teach my photography class about composition. These videos are great!

[@charlesmascari8197]

You and Sean Tucker are my favorites. Side note, please do an episode on Arnold Newman.

[@jeffboxill1278]

Charles Mascari he did

[@bone666138]

Great video, Ted. I'm also pleased to hear about your music background! As a photographer, I also have a music background (BA music composition) and approach photography similarly to how I approach composing music. In fact, I tend to think about it in those terms often, perhaps like someone speaking a second language thinking in their primary language. Love your videos, man.

[@alecjuho9436]

I really enjoy these lessons. I just have to take part in the complaining of your "rambling". I think, and this is just my opinion, you're not rambling - you're teaching. Furthermore you're teaching on a platform that is free for us to consume. I love these lessons, and i learn a lot as a photographer. I have to thank you. So, thank you. You got a new subscriber from Finland!

[@stephenmacneil5753]

Ted...you are fabulous! I learn so much from you!

[@jakerose677]

I don't know why but there is something about the reverberation in the audio track that I really enjoy. Great video by the way!

[@julietg7884]

I can't stop watching! Wish I had found these videos before!! :)

[@rusdierahim]

I learn so much from you Ted ! thank you so much !

[@ravelg]

Excellent video. Well done, as usual.

[@evoted1978]

Great series Ted, please continue to update it.

[@MrEddymattar]

I signed up a while ago for a MasterClass with Annie Leibovitz and it was honestly a sham and a huge waste of money , I would rather spend 90$ on AoP at least he's informative and presents well , thanks for the great videos man you have no idea how helpful you are and how amazing it is to just sit down and discuss photography with you

[@bunssohawt4531]

Fantastic Video of back to basics! I have been doing fashion and portrait photography for quite awhile now and being in today's technology with Instagram, the images out there are saturated. Too saturated. I often get carried along with different photographers and recently trying to focus in landscape and street photography, and I have to admit. I am lost. At a total lost. Not because I don't know the basics of photography but because of images that are out there and it has pushed so many people limits to have this urge to differentiate from the rest and when I stumbled upon this video, it has deeply inspired me to start purely from the basics again and work my way up! Love it!!

[@bjmitts]

Excellent video. I'm just dabbling into the world of photography, didn't even know about this "rule". Interesting. Thanks for the lesson.

[@JonathanBCormier]

Thank you so much for this video. You've turned on a couple lights in my mind!

[@GregAdamsEternal]

Thank you for your time making this.

[@gustavoleitao5481]

I discovered your videos recently. First of all, thank you for taking your time and effort to share your knowledge. I like the fact that you don't limit your talking to technical and geeky stuff and really give a broad panorama of what photography is as an art. That being said, I think you should consider making more concise videos. Sometimes I feel like you get carried away by some opinion or something you like a lot and tend to be a little verbose, even repeating things once or twice in a slightly different way. Don't take that as a harsh critique. The content is always excellent. Thank you for that.

[@trashman191]

Fantastic video ted!

[@gettingtheshot]

Great video! Thanks for the in depth explanation, I'm a person who needs to hear something a few times

[@zhengyuanzhou4147]

The last example is really helpful, thanks for sharing, great video !

[@KevinShull]

Very good video. The use of odd numbers can be useful for both symmetrical and asymmetrical composition. The singular form, though odd, can be a very powerful and profound image. When forms are isolated they take on a kind of importance. They may be framed by negative space visually. but also imply a sense of distance from the forms around them becoming iconic. The power of one. Enjoying your videos...take care.

[@dragoshutanu8990]

amazing series

[@grfaudio]

great job Ted...keep it coming!!

[@kinglear5952]

Great presentation, yet again.

[@booboorhymes]

Great vid. Very stimulating, usefull and inspiring. After watching your videos I actually want to grab my gear and go out and shoot. The other videos make me sit and ponder and compare stuff.

[@aurorashy5560]

You’re so wonderful. I can’t believe I haven’t discovered you before.

[@foodiesgalore3169]

I'll just take a second here to point out how well this man aged! Not that it is really important, but gosh! I was just watching a video from 2017 and it struck me. Anyway, I really adore this channel, keep up the good work!

[@wowpwnme]

dude! i love your work, Thank you so much! I've learnt so much from you.

[@richied9305]

Some good ideas here, very well presented.

[@artemyurin5593]

Thank you for this issue. I was very interested to see Bresson's work. Cool composition and light))

[@dmystify1381]

.you learn something new everyday..thankyou....very important lesson for me.

[@nelsonteixeiraphotography]

Love the reverb sound! :)

[@Ok-KB]

I enjoyed this and would like to thank YOU for the FREE information.

[@thats_mr_b_]

Wow this was awesome. New sub, going to go through a lot of your content

[@Acquavallo]

Great episode! Really useful, really nice.

[@omkars764]

thanks for these videos. learning a lot

[@BrianDorion]

Hi Ted! Thanks for the work you have been doing putting these videos out. The Keith Carter picture with the windows and the cats, while you say that there are two groups (the 2 cats and the 3 windows), I actually think that there are three. When you look at the bright points of the picture there are 6 bright objects; the top of the bench, the 2 cats and the three windows. I find my eye drawn to the bench, then up to the cats and then up to the windows. Once you get to the top of the windows, the loss of focus causes my eye to drift back down to the bench and then back up. Just what I see when I look at it. :-) Thanks again!

[@KuletniKilet]

I love photography! Thank you for this video :)

[@JordanHauserDigital]

You're super creative! Great work :)

[@robertbutts9835]

Love your stuff...

[@georgekrats2573]

i learned something important that will help me in my photography..thank you very much

[@digitaltechvs]

This is a great channel,thanks for share.

[@JashanDeepsingh3]

I like these type of videos, informative and has less talk

[@avitiasensei]

I´ve just started photography and I´m pretty much lost because I´ve never done it. Thanks for your detailed insight on this and other videos. My calsses aren´t that good and I´m learning so much more here! I can´t believe people complain about the "intro". If they don´t like to listen to that they can just skip to what matters for them. For me, I get a lot from those minutes in the beginning.

[@johnsaunders6510]

Thank you. I learned something new today.

[@IsaacMoscovich]

Love the video!

[@tclin2938]

Hi Ted, came back to this video few years after my first watch, still love your composition videos. Do you have any new thoughts in these compositions or ish topics? Would really love to see new videos on these topics

[@richardmathis3731]

Yes, he does talk a good bit. And he talks very well and knows his subject. I did not know this principle by name but knew it more instinctively and use it with my work. I greatly appreciate his intelligent explanation and feel inspired and validated. This is aesthetic principle wired into our brain as is our need for rational verbal conceptualization. The one thing that I would suggest is that he give a more succinct definition at the beginning paired with a couple of photos before going into the excellent explanation. Otherwise, I loved it and look forward to hearing more what he has to say about composition.

[@jonaqpetla_]

Second favourite KZbin channel. (The first is Every Frame a Painting.). Watching it on 2017 06 19 08 44 00.0 +5:30

[@samansrs6287]

i learened so muchhh.great videos.

[@johnnevin5706]

Excellent audio

[@UtimusProphetia]

Ted, you are awesome.

[@karenstanley4008]

Thank you - great video

[@danielmcelroy4505]

Really interesting--especially the Rodin subject matter. I read the last piece slightly differently, but I think in emphasis of your point: that there are all these pairs--of the cats, the two legs of the bench, the top and bottom delineated by the ground line--and the three windows, therefore, are striking.

[@moobyjoe]

Excellent advice on practicing

[@sachinshukla2296]

Thanks for this video. It is very helpful

[@UncompressedWAVmusic]

Thanks for the great lesson.

[@djcsr]

Great talk... very interesting!

[@RobCastro]

Insightful. Love the images. Thanks for sharing.

[@Rdgcan]

Thanks for this channel

[@theartofphotography]

You might try the art of photography flickr group. People in there are very helpful!

[@trevorpinnocky]

Brilliant once again. My only complaint is that it is too short. It is illuminating to watch you review and explain the images. Cheers.

[@TheLibraryOfEmotions]

Thank you for sharing your perspectives and your knowledge sir. I got very inspired by your lecture. It's really enjoyable to look at the photography you shared in this video. ｡◕ v ◕｡

[@angelaguirre9711]

For me a rule is a parameter where things are equilibrated. You can choose then to unbalance certain way everything to express your intention

[@dronetechie969]

Great tutorial thank you

[@truefilm1556]

Great break down and definitely true: three subjects (or objects) are very pleasing. But these are all still or posing, calm subjects and the goal is harmony. What about, say a couple (walking on the beach or sitting side by side or talking - or two people having an argument, facing each other. Should I look for a third object to balance it out? I think not. I would go for "telling a story" and two people should be fine if positioned correctly and the dynamics, facial and body expressions carry their own weight (yes, I come from a cinematic, and musical, background, but I think a bad photographer can never be a great cinematographer). Just thought I'd throw that in. Any tips and ideas highly appreciated. Thanks!

[@andrewpolitano]

Woah, reverb city! Regardless, good info here. Just a lot of talking to get there is all. Keep it up, I'll keep watching!

[@alphotheone]

Yes practice is key in the visual arts, that is why thumbnails or i.e contact sheets help in our seeing as artist/photographers. We should be or are always looking or seeing.

[@ianstewart8243]

To clarify what is meant by rule here: Rule is not meant as a hard and fast must-be-adhered-to fact. Yes, that is a definition of the word, but - words can have more than one definition!! This can trip you up and cause confusions etc. How the word "rule" is being used in the "rule of thirds" is as follows "A principle that operates within a particular sphere of knowledge, describing or prescribing what is possible or allowable." (Google "define rule") This is a more flexible and suitable use of the word in this instance!

[@MadManX668]

Good stuff. Keep it up!