Pixiq

I think in about a year’s time there will be as many photography articles on the net telling people not to follow the rules as there are articles about the rules! Only joking (am I not funny?). I quite liked seeing your take on this matter.

And thanks for the reminder, I am now up to date with all of my XKCD reading.

Nice article and glad someone did one on this. I have heard from a few “professional” photographers in the past that I have “broken” some of the rules and until I learn to not do that I will never have good work. I agree they are guidelines that are suggested to be followed but like any art sometimes the best stuff happens outside the guidelines.

Rules and art mix like oil and water. I consider the rules as merely suggestions. Not every suggestion is applicable for every situation. I always tell people: Know your equipment, know your surroundings and trust your instincts.

I love this post! I keep breaking the rules and I guess that’s what people like about my pictures. Photography rules are great guidelines but you definetly need to think outside de box.

Agreed, Agreed, Agreed. The internet seems to have come to a consensus on most of the basic photo rules so that anything that deviates from them draws unwanted criticism, sometimes masked as “suggestions.”

Rules shouldn’t be followed or broken without reason. I think a photograph is made stronger simply by the photographer making decisions deliberately. To me, that’s the biggest difference between a snapshooter and a photographer.

Also, for some related entertaining reading based on photo rules being taken to far, check these out:

http://theonlinephotographer.blogspot.com/2006/06/great-photographers-on...

http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2009/11...

I’m constantly fighting the urge to line up everything in my photos so that it’s perfectly horizontal/vertical, because I find that when I ignore that rule is often when I take my best shots.

If we all followed every photography rule every time, we’d all take the same shots, which wouldn’t be very much fun at all, so thanks for reminding us to ignore the rules from time to time and just go shoot!

A good photo is a good photo, it matters not how it was made :)

Nice article, thanks. Knowledge of basic rules is very important but knowing how to sometimes break the rules leads to more creative photography.

Hi Haje,

Still photography is like sex without foreplay. Your site is interesting but it only deals with still photography and ho hum reflected light. So trivial. Find me at flickr under my name. There are 13 non still photos made with a camera and without Photoshop. Tom Reaume

“Break these rules, and you won’t take a good photo in your life. Your cat will die, your children will hate you, and your significant other will divorce you.”

LOL

I’ve recently noticed more than ever the disconnect between photography that is popular online and the photography which is considered fine art. Most of what I seen in fine art photo magazines or in galleries wouldn’t follow most photo rules and definitely wouldn’t be popular on flickr. Thanks for the nice article.

It’s a very nice post for us(amateurs)

THANK YOU so much !!!

:)

A great article.Its extremely helpful to me and thanks for sharing.

This is a variation of discussion “what is art”. I believe that there are two distinct areas in photography: technical (for lack of better term) which is following rules – composition, lighting, color schemes and so on. The end result a capture, perfect in technical sense image – sharp, contrast, correct colors and so on. Art photography is about a vision, a message….

I have to say the only reason I read your blog was because I understand ‘grok’ so I had to see what you said :)
breaking the rules is always my favorite part of making an image but as I’m getting ready to teach beginners I know the first thing I’m going to do is teach them the rules before they break them themselves.

I have to agree 100% on breaking the rules……..and I love your sense of humor!

superb article, I love this type of thing as I am mindful of the kind of joyless people who over analyze and dissect what on balance seems to be a good picture at amatuer camera clubs, complaining that certain rules of photography have not been followed. Rules are guidelines only and I for one will point these people to this article in future.