First discovered by Pythagoras, a mathematic cult leader in the 5th century B.C, the Golden Spiral is probably now the most commonly used rule of photography.
It was firstly derived from the golden rectangle, a unique rectangle with a golden ratio. When you connect a curve through the corners of these concentric rectangles, the Golden Spiral is formed.
The Phythagoreans discovered that this shape could be found everywhere in nature which has been investigated more throughout the ages. For example, the Nautilius Shell, Ram’s horns, the face of a sunflower, fingerprints, DNA, even the shape of the Milky Way.
These mathmeticians came to the conclusion that the golden spiral was the key to the worlds beauty and in man’s attempt to replicate this beauty of nature, the Golden Spiral is responsible for such wonders as the Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza.
Today, Photographers have developed this mathematic theory into a photographic rule when capturing an image through a camera lense.
The photographic theory is that the centre of the spiral is where the most important point of the image is; where the audience's eye is drawn to. The spiral moves away from the centre, gradually moving away from the point of focus.This rule is a basic rule known by every photographer, its initial purpose is to guarentee an effective image.
Above, I have applied this rule to one of my test shots. I can see that my image is effective due to this 'golden' rule.
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