For every photography ‘rule’ we’re to follow as photographers, there are countless amazing photographs proving that rules are meant to be broken. “Fill the frame; aim for tack sharp; follow the rule of thirds!” we’re told.
Yet, time and again, some of the most stunning photographic work we’re drawn to as artists captures a moment or scene that’s slightly out of focus, includes some sort of motion blur, or even displays a huge amount of negative space. These photographs pull the viewer in, despite the photographer’s complete disregard of the ‘rules.’ As it turns out, the breaking of the rules is part of what helps to make these photographs magical.
When we each started out on our own individual photography journey, we were carefully instructed that photography has a basic set of guidelines, and that the first goal should be to make sure you’re shooting and creating within the rules of photography. It’s a necessary and wonderful place to start. These photography rules help us to create work that will be visually pleasing to the masses, and more specifically, to would-be clients who are looking for typical posed shots and holiday card-worthy portraits.
After spending time learning a camera, proper white balance, composition, and exposure, we often find ourselves asking, “What next?” This is right about when we realize we’ve hit a creative roadblock, and the search for inspiration begins. Maybe we’re feeling as though we’ve lost that initial spark that first made us look at the world through a photographer’s eyes. We’re finding it tough to even pick up the camera, much less capture something that makes us feel connected to that early budding photographer version of ourselves, filled with creativity, drive, and optimism.
Breaking the rules of photography can drive our creativity forward.
Bending the rules a little can help us find our own voice, our own style. Knowing what we’re supposed to do so we can ignore those parameters and shoot beyond them can help to push us out of our individual comfort zones and open our eyes to so many more creative possibilities that perhaps we hadn’t thought of previously. Getting back that creative drive we may have lost can reconnect us with our own sense of identity as artists.
1. Experiment with manual focus.
A simple first place to start to push past the rules of photography is to experiment with manual focus. If you’re like me, you trust the autofocus setting on your lenses more than you trust your own eyesight. Getting your photographs tack sharp is clearly a very important goal, most of the time. But how about photos that are purposely slightly out of focus?
My strategy is to take a series of photos, changing the focus manually just a bit with each subsequent click. Sometimes, I don’t really know what my ultimate goal is. I upload every photo in the series and compare them all, looking for the one that speaks to me the loudest. This creativity exercise helps me move beyond the rules of photography and into a state of mind where experimentation is fun.
2. Try adding motion blur.
Another creative exercise to experiment with is motion blur. As photographers just starting out, typically we’re very concerned with nailing focus and getting those tack-sharp images. And, that’s important! If you’re shooting family photos — whether portrait or lifestyle — you should be focused on keeping everyone in focus and capturing clear interactions.
But sometimes motion blur adds interest to a photo or helps to better tell a story. For example, a busy playroom filled with children or an older child flying by on his bike past his younger brother just starting out on a tricycle. There are times that motion blur captures a moment more honestly than a clear, focused photograph might.
3. Ignore the rule of thirds.
A third experiment to broaden your creative eye is to compose or crop in an unusual way: ignore the rule of thirds. Set your subject in the middle of the frame, crop in the middle of your subject’s face, shoot from above, or focus on your subject’s shadow. In post, rotate your photos for an upside down effect, try a dramatic crop or flip your photo around. The creative possibilities are endless.
By learning and practicing the ‘rules’ of photography, we become proficient also at knowing how and when to purposely break those rules. In doing so, our identities as artists become even more well-defined, and our ability to reach beyond the guidelines we once set for ourselves can help us to push out of those inevitable photographic slumps and onto new and different creative paths.
All Photos by Allison Zercher
