Break the Photography Rules? But You Said…
Ignoring Certain Guidelines and Basic Rules Can Make For Better Photography
Break the photography rules - I don’t want to be held liable for any of you jumping in front of buses or smashing anything up just to get a good picture. All I am saying is that every now and then forget everything that you have just read.
Forget not shooting into the sun, forget the rule of thirds or nice straight lines (all images copyrighted):
If we didn’t break the photography rules now and again, how would you get those beautiful sunset shots? And have you noticed a trend in “wonky” off balance shots? Sometimes by placing the subject dead centre you can portray a feeling of isolation and space. By going against the grain, you can create and improve your very own style.
I have taken many photos without even looking through the viewfinder, a bit “hit and miss” but sometimes necessary to see over crowds and such, knowing a few minutes in Photoshop will straighten things out. Of course, if using film this can be a bit wasteful!
Well, I hope this section has been of some help to any Newbie Digital SLR photographers out there. I would be grateful if you would quickly take a second to let me know if this was any use to you by adding your comments below. Thanks, good luck and all the best with your photography!
Thanks very much to everyone who has sent in kind and informative comments so far, and also to those that have made some great suggestions. I have included some of the more recent ones below as testimonial so please leave some comments below if you found this section useful! Thanks…
Advanced Photography Tips: The Next Phase
We have now released a more extensive section on more advanced aspects of photography which you may find useful. Grab yourself a drink and go find a large comfy chair (assuming you are reading this from a laptop or iPad) and get stuck in.
It includes many example photos for subjects such as white balance, exposure, metering, bracketing, modes, lenses, focussing plus a lot more, including how to shoot all subjects from sports to weddings and the more technical side of cameras and photography.
Just go to: Advanced Photography Tips to start at the beginning.
Please keep the comments and suggestions coming in as it is useful to know what to add to the site and also great to hear from people all over the world. Thanks again!
Even More Advanced Photography Tips! The Final Chapter
Once you have read all of the more advanced section, we have spent a year putting together some of the most in depth photography tutorials by putting all of our offline courses online and a whole lot more besides. It includes more than 16 hours of useful and informative video tutorials on all aspects of photography. This takes you to the next level and beyond…
Note: If you cannot make it to one of our courses or simply want to learn more, this may well interest you! We have now updated our membership section to ATP and if it hasn't already, we will be launching soon. This includes, at the time of writing, 7 courses, 218 lessons spanning 42 hours!
Courses include the Photography Masterclass, The Wedding VIDEO Blueprint, How to Write and Sell eBooks, How to Build WordPress Websites (like this one), Selling Stock Video, Creating and Selling Drone Hyperlapses and Dolly Zooms and more. Click Here for More Info
Nick Stubbs
I hope you enjoyed this short course and that is has helped you on your way to becoming a better photographer. Now all you have to do is grab your camera, get out there and practice!
All the best to you and please leave your comments below...
Older Facebook Comments to Break the Photography Rules
“Very informative and explained in a very understandable way! Continuously returning to this site to learn the next tip. Thanks for the time spend in learning others!” - Riaan Oosthuizen ;· ASM at Hewlett-Packard
“thanx thanx thanx thanx thanx, my new camera just went from my worst enemy, to a fun friend….” - Signe Kristoffersen · Assistent at Hovin Skole, Spydeberg
“Really super.. Got myself a T2i and with the help of this article , I can use it better.” - Piyal Das · Sr. SW Engineer at Rs Software
“Nice… to the point yet nicely explained..” - Raj Tam · University of Madras, Chennai
“Wow, you have done an amazing job of explaining things for a newbie DSLR user like me! I’ve searched everywhere and would have to say that I found your site the most helpful. Thanks, keep up the great work,” - Danielle Edge Tuesley · Gold Coast, Queensland
“Thanks, this is an amazing guide, I’m anticipating getting my first DSLR after waiting for 4 years to get one, and I’m keen to get learning and experimenting, I’ve bookmarked your guides and will definitely be referring to them often! Thank you so much!” - Rebecca Emerton · Intern - Tropical Cyclone Tracking at BMT ARGOSS
“Truly amazing. Thanks.” - Tanvir Rahman Rony · Assistant Manager at SQ GROUP LIMITED
“thanks! finally I found something that can guide me.” - Nazrin Ejahar · Works at American International Assurance Company
“Thank you so much for this guide. It has explained a lot of things to me!” - Stephanie Crites
“very useful” - Priyadarshi Meena · Tonk City, Rajasthan, India
“yes, very good advice, and great place to start, when staring out. ( :” - Tiffany Hollifield · Leader at CEO of my Home aka “stay at home mama”
Other Comments to the Question "What Would You Change?"
"Wouldn’t change anything – it was excellent!" - Lucy - United Kingdom
"Keep up very good and useful for beginners Thank u very much" - Taher - Saudi Arabia
"I wouldn’t change anything. This sight was very helpful and put me at ease about using a Digital SLR. I am more confident and feel like running out and buying a new camera, lenses, filters etc…but I don’t think my husband would like that. (HA HA)." - Tracey - United States
"Thanks for the tips! They were easy to understand even “without opening the hood”." - I just purchased the 20D and I try to focus better. Erno - Netherlands
"I wouldn’t change a thing. As a newbie, I learned more from this information than from an e-book I recently purchased that turned out to be more money than it was worth. Thanks for the great advice!" - Blanka - Canada
More from Blanka...thank you!
"After a quick review of some of your tips, I posted a previous message expressing my satisfaction with the great advice. Several hours later, having done a rather thorough tour of the site, I felt the need to send another message.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I will try not to bore you but I thought you might like to know why I find your site one of the best out there. I recently expressed an off-the-cuff remark to my husband that I would like to take up photography and being the wonderful man that he is, he promptly set out to support my interest.
I'm now the proud owner of a Canon EOS 20D. However, being the novice that I am, it’s a lot of camera for someone so new to photography. I have purchased several how-to books, read many articles and downloaded an e-book (the latter being a huge disappointment – money I could have spent on a new filter). Then I found your site. I cannot tell you how much I have learned in the few hours spent at all-things-photography.
It’s clear, well-organized and provides loads of photographic examples to bring points home. Most importantly, I don’t need a photographic translator to understand the material. If you DO decide to put out a Newsletter in future, please sign me up: blanca@interlog.com. Once again, THANK YOU!" - Blanka - Canada
More...
"Nothing…I found it very very good and informative. My camera is on it’s way. Pentax *Ist DS. Thanks." - Mark - Australia
"Nothing, this is such a fabulous help, I cannot express enough how helpful these tips are! Louise" - United Kingdom
"Nothing, but I wish it would go further past beginner to intermediate etc…This was very helpful for me and my new 350d." - Alana -– New Zealand
"I just wanted to thank you for your very interesting articles. You have a good sense of humor, which makes the reading downright pleasurable. You definitely deserve a pat on the back for the great web site you have put together. Again, thanks much from an old retired police photographer that is somewhat new to the digital forum." - Wayne - USA