Rules, rules, rules…

Rules were made to be broken, right?

Well… yes and no.

Rules, especially when dealing with the visual arts, act more as a guideline than anything else. Rules, like the Rule of Thirds can help you to learn basic fundamentals of design and composition.

Perhaps it’s a rule like sharp photographs are better photographs, or perhaps a lesson on leading lines to engage your viewers? Whatever the case, rules are just guidelines.

If rules are just guidelines, then do we need to learn them?

In short, yes. The best artists, photographers, musicians, actors, etc… learn the rules first, then learn how to break/bend them. Otherwise you’re just shooting from the hip, hoping to get lucky. Learning the rules first, will allow you to make wise decisions on how to break them and produce photographs that are amazing and awe inspiring.

Take this example from OZinOH one of our readers in the Flickr Group.

Chicago IMG_7535

In his own words:

Make mistakes. (Both accidentally and deliberately). In other words, don’t be afraid to break the rules. Sometimes they are made to be broken, and you may only know when you see the result. It’s not like film photography, where every shot cost significant money for film and processing). This picture of mine breaks several rules:(I’m shooting almost directly towards the Sun, the subject is mostly hidden by clouds, and the subject doesn’t fill the picture), but it’s the picture of mine that has the most faves by a long way.

I really couldn’t agree more.  I love this image of his.  It’s emotive and mysterious.

Learn the rules, then break them.  Experiment, practice, shoot, whatever it takes to create something worth thinking about.  Perhaps a day devoted to centering every subject, or shooting all day out of focus?

Experiment!  Oh yeah… and have fun, because that’s the point.