The Golden Section: What a 12th Century Italian Mathematician Can Teach Photographers About Composition

By Light Stalking on 29 Aug 2010 in Guides[ 9 Comments ]

A lost of people know about the rule of thirds, the s-curve as well as other elements of photographic composition. Let’s have a look at something that is a little more advanced in the world of image composition that was discovered by a 12th century Italian mathematician called Fibonacci.

Introducing The Golden Section

The Golden Section is simply a compositional rule that dictates that a well composed image can be achieved by dividing the frame by 1.6 several times.

By doing this, you get a pattern like this:

Image courtesy of Nam Nam

The Geek Explanation

Fibonacci is most famous for developing a series of number sequence which adds the previous two numbers:

0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,55…

When you divide successive numbers, you come up with 1.6 which is a key in mathematics to proportions (hence its relationship to photography). When you apply the Fibinacci sequence to a rectangle you get a tiling with squares whose sides are successive Fibonacci numbers in length. Each square is roughly 1.6 times as big as the last. Like this:

How to Use the Golden Section

Images speak louder than words, so have a look at this image and the one below it to see an almost perfect application of the Golden Section in action. The proportions and composition are textbook Golden Section.

Photo by DJ Flickr

Now, this one is a lot more difficult than say, the rule of thirds to apply to your photos. However, with practice you will get better. The great thing is that the Golden Section adds another tool to your arsenal of composition.

Photo by James Michael Hill

Photo by Alex Decarvalho

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9 Comments

The Golden Section: What a 12th Century Italian Mathematician Can Teach Photographers About Composition | DP Shots:

[...] original post here: The Golden Section: What a 12th Century Italian Mathematician Can Teach Photographers About Composit… Related [...]

August 30, 2010 at 7:58 pmReply
michael:

Ah, the original on which the rule of thirds was approximated.

August 30, 2010 at 8:20 pmReply
- LightStalking:
  
  Yeah, pretty much. This one is a lot more precise. :)
  
  August 30, 2010 at 8:42 pmReply
+1 Thomas Kuehne:

The rule of thirds is a very crude approximation. So crude that it is basically wrong. Anyone doubting this please read Andreas Feininger’s books on composition.

I really like lightstalker articles but this time the “textbook example” is wrong. One can see/feel that the positioning is not harmonious. It doesn’t even adhere to the rule of thirds. The Mona Lisa is a textbook example with many golden sections featured.

August 31, 2010 at 3:23 amReply
+1 Thomas Kuehne:

As an addendum I’d like to add that while the Moma Lisa contains many “golden rectangles” (for proportions) it probably is not the best example for using golden ratios for placement.

August 31, 2010 at 3:32 amReply
Photography Links for Sept 5 2010 | Photography Minute:

[...] The Golden Section: What a 12th Century Italian Mathematician Can Teach Photographers About Composit… [...]

September 5, 2010 at 4:22 amReply
+1 Initial focus of attention - Wild About Britain:

[...] looking for the Fibonacci sequence, found in natural patterns also known as the golden section. The Golden Section: What a 12th Century Italian Mathematician Can Teach Photographers About Composit… __________________ [...]

September 5, 2010 at 4:42 amReply
Kevin Cooper:

Great illustration of a new tool for my composition bag. Thank you!

December 20, 2011 at 7:35 amReply
Roy Mullin:

I’ve used it for years. The Golden Section or Golden Means is one of the strongest compositions you can use. If you aren’t using it yet, learn it, USE IT! You’ll be glad you did.

January 14, 2012 at 2:12 pmReply