In photography, rules aren’t laws.
Oh will you look at that. How very Web 2.0!
The internet is absolutely full of guides about things you should and shouldn’t do to take ‘good photos’. Don’t over-expose. Remember the rule of thirds. Don’t cut people’s heads off. Watch your background. Use a shallow DOF in portraits to throw the backgrounds out of focus. 3-point lighting for portraiture, etc.
A lot of us just take all these rules for given, as if they are hard-and-fast rules that you have to stick to, because if you don’t, you’ll fail as a photographer. 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.
Truth, as you might expect, is slightly different. Don’t get me wrong, most of the time the ‘rules’ (which in any case should be seen as mere guidelines) make a lot of sense. Of course it looks silly if you cut people’s heads off. Of course your photos won’t look conventional if they are harshly over- or under-exposed.
Rules aren’t laws. You can break them unpunished
Grossly over-exposing a photo doesn't have to mean it won't look good. (click for bigger on Flickr)
Read the sentence above. That’s all I really wanted to say with this article. So if you’re in a rush, or you think I use too many words to say something simple, then read that sentence a few times, and go check out XKCD for a while.
What I’m trying to say is that while the guidelines are there to help you, there’s no point in following any rules or guidelines unless you fully understand (or grok, if you’re geeky and/or well-read enough to be familiar with that concept) why.
The best reason to understand why a rule is there, is to break it. Some times, you might find that your photos actually come out more interesting – better, even, perhaps – when you break the rules. Other times, you’ll try to take the same photo twice; once whilst following the rule, and once whilst breaking it, and you’ll realise why it’s a good idea.
Just remember: Never follow a rule just because you’ve read somewhere that it’s the ‘right’ thing to do. Follow it because you understand it, and because you know what happens when you don’t.
Break these rules
Contrary to popular belief, your foreground doesn't have to be in focus (clicky for bigger)
- DPS’s 11 tips for beginner photographers.
- DP Tutorial’s Photography tips for beginners.
- The tips in my own How to win a photography competition
- Buzzle’s basic digital photography tips.
- Photography Tips and Tricks’ Tips for Beginners
- Digital Photography Tips’ guides on The rule of thirds, Making a good crop, Change shooting angles for better photos and Focus on the details for better photos.
- Every single one of Rick Sammon’s (@RickSammon) Top Ten Digital Photography Tips (YouTube Video)
- These 100 tips from Cameras.co.uk (ignore the first 30 or so, they’re about 600 years old, and are related to taking photos by carving them into mountains)
A couple of examples
DO cut their heads off at the top if it makes for more interesting and intimate photos (click for bigger on Flickr)
The Carlsberg Express: Of course your horizon doesn't have to be straight, if a non-straight horizon gives you better results! (click for bigger on Flickr)
Sometimes, getting in closer makes a photo more intimate. Don't be afraid to crop into people's faces.
The horizontals aren't horizontal. The verticals aren't vertical. The background is a mess. How could this photo ever be any good? But it is... (click for bigger on Flickr)
White balance? Hah? I spit on your white balance. (click for bigger)
Some times, the background adds to a photo - don't throw it out of focus on principle just because you have a nice, fast lens.
My day job, if it can be called that, is being a writer. I've got one book out there so far and it's awesome, so go ahead and buy a copy! It's available from 
In front of you, five hyperactive men with guitars, drums, and microphones. Behind you, five thousand fans. In your hands, a camera... You're going to need more than just a little bit of good luck to pull this one off. That's where this book comes in.
Take a Canon EOS 450D. Attach a Canon 50mm f/1.4 lens. Hit the streets of London. See what happens.
Insights, suggestions and comments
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-internet.html
http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2009/11/great-photographers-on-the-internet-part-ii.html
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!
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