Alright, so today I wanted to talk a bit about something I stumbled upon in my photography journey – this thing called the “rule of odds.” Sounds kinda formal, right? But my experience with it was anything but.
When I first started getting a bit more serious about taking pictures, beyond just snapping holiday photos, I noticed a lot of my shots just felt… well, a bit blah. They weren’t terrible, but they weren’t grabbing your eye either. I’d look at other folks’ photos, ones that really popped, and I couldn’t figure out what they were doing that I wasn’t. I spent a good while just pointing my camera at things I thought looked nice, hoping for the best.
Then, I was thumbing through some old photography magazine I found at a flea market, and there was this little snippet about composition. It mentioned this “rule of odds.” My first reaction was, “Huh? Like, don’t photograph an even number of things?” It sounded a bit daft, to be honest. Like some kind of superstition for photographers.
But, being the curious type, I decided to give it a go. So, I started consciously looking for odd numbers when I was out with my camera. My first attempts were pretty clumsy. I’d be there, literally counting. “Okay, one, two, three pigeons. Snap.” Or “Look, five apples in that bowl. Snap.” It felt really forced, and honestly, the pictures weren’t magically better. I was just replacing random snapping with slightly less random, but still awkward, snapping.
I almost gave up on it, thinking it was just one of those high-brow art concepts that didn’t really translate to everyday shooting. But then, I was out for a walk in this old park, one with these really ancient, gnarled trees. I saw this little group of three trees standing slightly apart from the others, silhouetted against the setting sun. I didn’t consciously think, “Aha! Three! An odd number!” I just framed them because they looked interesting together. One was a bit taller, sort of the main character, and the other two were like its companions. I took the shot.
Later, when I was looking through my photos, that one of the three trees really stood out to me. It had a sort of harmony, but it wasn’t boringly symmetrical. My eye was drawn to the taller tree, but the other two gave it context and balance. That’s when it clicked for me. It wasn’t about the number itself being magic, but about how an odd number of elements often creates a more dynamic, less static composition. It stops your brain from easily pairing things up and splitting the image in half.
So now, how do I use it? Well, I don’t go around like a crazy person counting everything in sight. That would take all the fun out of it. But it’s definitely in my mental checklist when I’m composing a shot. If I see a potential subject, say a line of boats, a few flowers, or even people, I might just subtly adjust my framing to include an odd number if it feels natural and improves the shot. Sometimes it means taking a step to the left, or zooming in a bit, to exclude an even-numbered element or include an odd one.
For example, I was at a food market the other day, and there was this stall with peppers. Lots of them. I could have taken a wide shot, but instead, I zoomed in on a little cluster of three bright red peppers. They just looked more appealing, more focused, than if I’d framed, say, four of them. With three, one tends to become the focal point, and the others support it. With an even number, especially just two, my eye sometimes just bounces between them, or it feels like the image is divided.
I think it works because our brains are wired to find patterns, but also to be intrigued by slight imbalances. An odd number prevents that perfect, sometimes sterile, symmetry. It makes your eye move around the image a bit more. It just feels a bit more natural, more engaging. You’re not forcing the viewer to choose between two equal halves.
So, that’s my little journey with the rule of odds. It’s not a hard and fast rule you must follow, because honestly, some of the best photos break all the rules. But it’s a handy little tool. When you’re out there, and something feels a bit off in your composition, just have a quick think – could an odd number of subjects make this more interesting? Give it a try. You might be surprised what you find.
