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The idea here is to divide your image into thirds both horizontally and vertically, and then to place important elements at the intersections of these lines. This trick of using the golden ratio to lay out your image is related to the well-known “rule of thirds” you hear me talking about. It’s simple, but this technique really does make for more interesting pictures-search the web for examples and see for yourself. The golden ratio is the ratio of a to b when a a+b, which can also be written with the. To visualize the golden ratio, consider the rectangle below. Then, the idea is to position the most important element of your shot-perhaps a person’s eyes-not at the overall center of the image, but at the off-centered eye of the Fibonacci spiral. The golden spiral rule is derived from the golden ratio (also called divine proportion), which is much more intertwined in our lives than we realize. And it's always another tool that you can use.įirst, when taking a picture, imagine placing the Fibonacci spiral on top of the scene you’re shooting. It's also another way to look at photos that utilize the golden triangle. It's the reason that spiral staircase photos and photos of snail shells are so appealing. This is probably the most pleasing of all composition rules, if used properly. This photography compositional tool based on the golden ratio, and is called the golden spiral (image from the Wikipedia article). The Phythagoreans loved this shape for they found it everywhere in nature: the Nautilus Shell, Ram's horns, milk in coffee, the face of a Sunflower, your fingerprints, our DNA, and the shape of the Milky Way. When you connect a curve through the corners of these concentric rectangles, you have formed the golden spiral. The squaring can continue indefinitely with the same result. When squared, it leaves a smaller rectangle behind, which has the same golden ratio as the previous rectangle. The spiral is derived via the golden rectangle, a unique rectangle which has the golden ratio. It was first discovered by Phythagoras, a failed Greek messiah and mathematical cult leader in the 5th century B.C. In photography, the golden ratio is used to compose images aesthetically pleasing, balanced, and above all, to place the protagonist in specific points of the. The Golden Spiral is a mystical shape that is an absolute in both abstract mathematics and chaotic nature.
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