Lens-Artists Challenge #305 – Two Rectangles

• Egidio Leitao
Two Rectangles in Composition

In previous challenges, we have seen how vital composition is in photography. For example, we challenged you to show us images emphasizing symmetry and asymmetry, backlighting, and leading lines. I thought we would have fun looking at our photos or capturing new images showing two rectangles for this week’s challenge. You might be scratching your head and asking yourself, “Really?” Let me show you what I mean by two rectangles. The results can produce compelling photos.

By two rectangles, I mean you have two dominant rectangular areas in your image. For many people, this is one of those compositional tools we use without thinking about it. These rectangles give balance, harmony, and unity to a composition. For example, a leading line can easily create two rectangles in your composition, such as in the image below.

Somewhere in the Texas Hill Country
Davis Mountains

When you look at this image of the Davis Mountains, you can easily divide the image into two rectangles. The horizon line creates the sky rectangle and the ground rectangle. You can easily visualize a line separating the two rectangles. Rectangles help your composition by creating a sense of order and structure.

The following example shows two rectangles with contrasting textures. This is the Devil’s Waterhole at Inks Lake State Park, a popular summer spot near Austin. The rough texture of the rock contrasts with the water’s smoothness. Creating rectangles with contrasting textures is a strong compositional element.

The Devil’s Waterhole at Inks Lake State Park
Muhly Grass

We can use contrasting colors to create rectangles as we did with contrasting textures. In this Muhly grass photo, besides the two rectangles I created with contrasting colors, you will notice that I also used complementary colors (pink and green). It must be noted that the rectangles do not need to be strictly a straight line. The overall appearance of the two rectangles is the factor that matters.

Contrasting light is also a very effective way of creating two rectangles. In this Big Bend National Park sunset, the rectangles are similar to my first example with the Davis Mountains, except that the light is the element creating the rectangles here.

Big Bend National Park
LBJ Presidential Library

In architecture, for example, you may also take advantage of rectangles, such as what you see in the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library in Austin, Texas. There are rectangles within some of the more evident rectangles. There is also the color contrast in the rectangles on the ground surrounding the building. As you see, you can start compounding various rectangle effects in one photo.

Negative space is also a very powerful compositional tool for creating two rectangles. When you look at this photo I captured at the Northeast Metropolitan Park in Austin, the viewer’s eye is grounded by the negative space on the right side of the frame. There are no distractions there.

Northeast Metropolitan Park (Austin, TX)


In addition to all these easy ways of creating two rectangles, there is also another more complex way that was used by well-known Renaissance artists. Those painters used the technique called the Rabatment (also known as rebatement and rabattement) of the rectangle. One can think of Rabatment as putting a square inside a rectangle. Your composition is more potent when your subject falls on that line inside the square. The Rabatment concept helps guide the photographer’s eye to position elements harmoniously and organized within the rectangular frame. It’s not a rigid rule or grid but a tool to achieve a pleasing composition. For the lone tree above, you can see that I placed it on the Rabatment of the rectangle.


Using leading lines, the horizon, contrasting textures, colors, and light, architectural features, negative space, or Rabatment are just a few options to create rectangles in your photos. There are several other ways you can use two rectangles in your compositions. For example, you can frame subjects using doorways and windows (they are natural rectangles). You can also create rectangles through cropping or perspective. You can add other compositional tools and two rectangles (rule of thirds, leading lines, etc.). If you want to read more about this technique, Wikipedia has an entry, and so does the Empty Easel.

What other ideas do you find in your photos that show two rectangles? You probably have several photos using that technique but never thought about it when capturing the image. So, I would love to see your photos with two rectangles. Let your creativity flourish. Please remember that pingbacks do not work on my site. For me to see your post, you need to put your link in the comments below. I’m sorry for that inconvenience. Also, please use the “lens-artists” hashtag to make it easier for others to find your post since they may not read all the comments below.

Last week, Ritva focused on backgrounds and how they affect your composition. What beautiful images you shared! No matter the challenge, one thing is certain: your responses are excellent and creative. Next week, Tina will share another fascinating challenge on Saturday, 12 noon (EDT in the USA). Stay tuned. Please see this page to learn more about the Lens-Artists Challenge and its history.

As those who follow her know, Lens-Artists team member Donna of Wind Kisses is taking a break from blogging for personal reasons. She will be very much missed but, hopefully be with us again before too long. We wish Donna and her family only the best, as our thoughts are with all of them.

Discover more from Egidio's Photography

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

133 thoughts on “Lens-Artists Challenge #305 – Two Rectangles”

  3. Thank you for this interesting challenge. The images you chose to illustrate this challenge are fantastic. I recognized that many of the places are from Texas. My two favorites are the bluebonnet lined road somewhere in the Texas Hill Country and the Devil’s Sinkhole at Inks Lake.

  6. Great images.
    <a href=“https://inprimopianophoto.wordpress.com/2024/06/22/stairs-and-bench/”>Here is my contribution to the challenge

  10. A delightfully tricky challenge, Egidio! Your examples are well chosen and beautiful. I will have to put my thinking cap on…

  17. Thank you so much for your comments. You are right about the images in Texas. I appreciate your compliment.

  18. John, I thank you for your enthusiast feedback. I appreciate that. I look forward to your take on the challenge.

  19. Margaret, thank you kindly for your comment. I appreciated it. I look forward to your take on the challenge.

  22. What a great theme, Egidio! I love your explanations on how we can see rectangle shapes in our images. I’m happy my Sunday Stills (plant life) post can work this theme in tomorrow. I really like the Texas road lined with bluebells, stunning!

    FYI, I had trouble clicking on to your post to save the link. I keep getting a page not found error. But I clicked through using Tina’s link which got me there. Strange 🙁

  25. Terri, first of all, thank you so much for your kind words about the post and photos. I’m happy that I’ll get to see your take on the challenge. I’m excited about it. I don’t know why there was a problem saving the link. Sometimes WordPress complicates our lives. I tried to save the link here by dragging the URL from the browser directly to my desktop. That worked. I’m looking forward to your take on the challenge. Thanks again.

  26. PR, I want to thank you for the feedback on the explanations and, especially, for your compliment on the photos. I’ll check your post now. Thank you!

  28. This is a great educational challenge Egidio. And shown with great images. I’ll be looking in my archives tomorrow to find rectangles.

  30. Robert, thank you so much for your kind words. I appreciate them. I’m happy you liked those photos. I’ll go check your post. I’m looking forward to seeing it.

  33. Very interesting challenge and I found your explanation just as interesting. I particularly like the Devil’s Waterhole. That is one amazing shot!

  34. I.V., I am very thankful that you found the challenge interesting along with the explanations. The Devil’s Waterhole is a wonderful place to see, especially at the end of the day, when the water is calm and leads to beautiful reflections. Thanks again.

  42. I love challenges that make us think and dig deep into the archives, or even better, to go out and get the shot. It’s a wonderful post, Egídio. Great explanations of what this tool is and your photos illustrate it so well. Muhly Grass is a favourite, as is your first.

  44. I agree with Sofia. This challenge really made me think and surprised me, too! I had no idea I’d find examples in my archives of this technique…I was unconsciously composing the images with them in mind! Your gallery gives us so many beautiful examples of the benefits of this rabatment technique. Wonderful. Here’s a link to my post. I had fun hunting for rectangles this week in Porto!

    https://pilotfishblog.com/2024/06/23/lens-artists-challenge-305-two-rectangles/

  47. You are good teacher Egidio. So much to learn so little I know. I shall go through your post once again and then plan a post.

  49. a unique challenge indeed. I might have applied it in some cases without even realizing it. well explained and “documented” :-).

  51. Teresa, thank you for your feedback. I am happy to read you thought the challenge was educational. I just left a comment in your post. What a great gallery you shared there!

  52. Thank you, Jo. You will see, as many have, that you have a lot of photos with this rectangle approach. It’s often very intuitive.

  53. Sofia, many thanks for the feedback and comments. Like you, I also enjoy these challenges that get us to think a little. Sometimes, we do those things intuitively. Thanks again.

  54. Patti, thank you, for the compliment and great comment. As you pointed out, a lot of us use this technique unconsciously. You showed that in your response very well. I’m happy you included photos from your Porto trip. I love Porto! I’ll leave a longer comment in your post. Thank you, again.

  55. Thank you, Sarah. I figured your use of rectangles was an intuitive approach. Thank you for the compliments about the photos I selected as examples. I’ll leave my comments on your post.

  57. Terri, having more than two rectangles is not a problem. Sometimes, that will emphasize your subject. Thanks for the feedback. I’ll leave a comment in your post.

  58. Yes, I’m writing a coastal walk for tomorrow and there are many horizons on it, but probably not enough to justify linking to you.

  59. You could be surprised at what you see. Please feel free to do as you please. Either way, I know the photos will be great. I like your walks and the images you share.

  60. Thanks for the comment. A lot of times we use two rectangles without even thinking about them. I’ll leave my comment in your post. Many thanks.

  62. Klara, thank you for the comment. I think you are absolutely correct about using rectangles without thinking or “documenting” the process. I’d love to see your photos, too. Many thanks! I’ll leave my comment in your blog.

  69. Fascinating – will have to look back at my photos as this isn’t something I was aware of till today. Thank you

  70. I know what you mean, Rebecca. I had an office in the building next to the LBJ Library. However, it was only after I had left UT that I started coming back to my old stomping grounds to explore the sites. I guess that familiarity with our environment helps make better photos. Thank you.

  71. Interesting challenge – illustrated with great examples. It’s good to think about composition and other aspects of photography on occasion. It reminded me of my first posts on wordpress – I took Cee’s course on image composition. It wasn’t really a course but I took it as such.

  73. Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I appreciate that. I agree with you about thinking about composition and other photography aspects from time to time, especially when we want to break the rules. 🙂

  75. I’m so glad you found the challenge interesting and also contributed to it. I’ll have to check your post now. Many thanks. For some reason, WP is not letting me see your post. I’ll have to try that again later. It seems the post is not live yet. Aha! After a little digging, I found your post. The URL showing up on the comment on my page is not the same as the actual URL:

    https://anthropologist.wordpress.com/2024/06/23/lens-artists-photo-challenge-305-two-rectangles/

  79. Egidio, these are wonderful examples of two-rectangle composition, and I truly appreciate your explanations of each photo. I feel like I got a free mini-lesson in photography 🙂 Your photos and explanations are inspirational. I’ll be digging deep into my archive, and maybe taking some new photos for this challenge.

  80. Stunning rectangles! I’ve never thought of them as compositional elements and now I see them everywhere!

  81. Marie, that is so nice to hear. I’m happy that the explanations were clear and that you liked the photos and post. Many thanks! I’ll be looking forward to your post.

  90. Thank you! I really appreciate your compliment, especially about the last one. It’s one of my favorite images. It’s in a busy city park, but I was able to compose it such that it appears to be isolated. I was standing on a parking lot when I photographed it. I’ll leave my comment in your post. Thanks again.

  91. Well Egidio, you did it this week, it was a tough one. That is a good too, nice sometimes to get a challenge that really is a challenge. YOu have some great examples.

  92. You present a really good education.
    I gained a lot of knowledge, particularly about Rabatmen, of which I know nothing.
    I blindly snap images, and I start thinking about the aspects found in the image only later. Maybe this is not a good practice.
    I love all the images, especially The Devil’s Waterhole,
    Thank you, Egidio.

  93. A little late to the party after our trip out west for me. You’ve got some great examples, and I found it easier than I thought to find compositions that demonstrate this concept. I hadn’t thought about how many times I use this method without even thinking about it.

  94. Thanks for the feedback, John. For a lot of photographers, this two-rectangle idea comes naturally. We don’t think much about it when capturing our images.

  98. I cannot believe I hadn’t commented on your post Egidio! I’ve visited it several times but couldn’t find my name so my apologies of this is a duplicate! Of course it’s wonderful and introduced a concept I hadn’t heard of before. You described it perfectly and illustrated it with wonderful examples. Your opening and closing images are my favorites although as always all of the images are terrific.

  99. Well, Tina, I know your mind is working in various directions — and so is mine. I must confess that I swore you had already commented, too. Thank you for the feedback and compliment.

  102. Thank you for the feedback. You may be surprised how much you have used rectangles in your compositions. I’m looking forward to your post. Thanks again.

  105. That is such an interesting and creative theme challenge! Thank you for these beautiful photos.

  115. Jude, many people use this technique intuitively. You are likely one of those. I’ll check your post and write my comments there. Thank you.

  123. That’s wonderful, Marie. Thank you. I’ll go check your post now. I’m glad you thought it was fun.

  129. Sylvia, thank you so much for the kind words and feedback. I am glad you enjoyed the challenge. I loved your post and left my comments there.

  132. I loved everything about this challenge, Egidio. It looks like others did as well. I am in love with the Texas roadside blue bonnets, and the technique in that photo is EXTRA. Love it. So many fantastic images with a lesson in composition makes me smile. I also love the chance to learn new words. Rebatement. Love it. Of course I love all your images, but the last must be my favorite. Hope you are well.

If you are reading this note, you are reading my old site (egidio.photography). The new site is throughbrazilianeyes.com. I have migrated all posts to the new site. Please visit me there. Thank you.