The "Rules"
Aug 28, 2018 11:06:07 #
Tomcat5133
Loc: Gladwyne PA
So true. I had a talented film graduate who worked for me and I loaned her a camera for an event.
She shut a whole bunch of half faces cropped and I was surprised. It took some time thinking and I
was intrigued. Three point lighting is a classic. I don’t shoot flashed stills but got interested lately.
Bought more powerful units they are very affordable now. Got a book on on flash shooting with one unit
and manual control for different looks. I shoot video now have 3 the good led panels. Found 1 is ok
2 ok but the less gear I use the more relaxed the ballet dancers I was shooting were.
I never posed or moved them I was the fly on the wall. I come from background of big setups
As a producer and no rules is documentary real. Work with small pro camcorder and a7s LLC mirrorless.
She shut a whole bunch of half faces cropped and I was surprised. It took some time thinking and I
was intrigued. Three point lighting is a classic. I don’t shoot flashed stills but got interested lately.
Bought more powerful units they are very affordable now. Got a book on on flash shooting with one unit
and manual control for different looks. I shoot video now have 3 the good led panels. Found 1 is ok
2 ok but the less gear I use the more relaxed the ballet dancers I was shooting were.
I never posed or moved them I was the fly on the wall. I come from background of big setups
As a producer and no rules is documentary real. Work with small pro camcorder and a7s LLC mirrorless.
Aug 28, 2018 11:46:13 #
There are two aspects of photography: 1 technical, 2 compositional. #1 is the exposure triangle and focusing. #2 is much more complicated and not really descibable. And there is one 'grande' element in that one may manipulate the parts of #1 to acheive parts of #2. Am I talking bullshit. My coffee has went cold.
Aug 28, 2018 11:55:24 #
rmalarz wrote:
They are not rules. They are merely guidelines.
--Bob
--Bob
Rules or guidelines don't help you when you are taking pictures. That will only slow you down. They are usually considered after the fact to explain what went wrong. You need to figure out how to make it part of your instincts.
If you have learned from your mistakes, incorporated what you learned into your instincts, that's good. If you have to consult a rule (or guideline) before you trip the shutter then you haven't really absorbed it.
You can take photographs by following your instincts and by learning from experience. If your instincts are good and you have learned from your mistakes, your chances of getting a decent image are better.
Check out People Photography section of our forum.
Aug 28, 2018 12:07:57 #
selmslie wrote:
Rules or guidelines don't help you u when you are... (show quote)
Once again we generalize... doesn't it depend on what type of photography we're engaged in? Couldn't guidelines help in cases were you have time to set up, move things around, adjust lighting, etc?
Aug 28, 2018 12:08:24 #
robertjerl wrote:
There are two rules that are absolute.
1. turn the camera on (implies having charged batteries in the camera)
2. take the lens cap off
OH YEAH!!! make that three = have a lens on the camera
1. turn the camera on (implies having charged batteries in the camera)
2. take the lens cap off
OH YEAH!!! make that three = have a lens on the camera
Make sure there’s a memory card in it as well!!
Aug 28, 2018 12:11:26 #
Bazbo
Loc: Lisboa, Portugal
Chaostrain wrote:
I've spent a lot of time studying the "rules&... (show quote)
The "rules" are derived from the very beginnings of visual arts and are about how the human brain processes images (rule of thirds, leading lines, etc, did not start with the invention of photography).
I think a new photographers needs to master the rules. Then break them but know what you are doing while you are doing it and why you are doing it. otherwise, one is in jeopardy of producing nothing but dreck that will interest no one.
Aug 28, 2018 12:13:20 #
stanperry wrote:
Make sure there’s a memory card in it as well!!
Or film.
Check out People Photography section of our forum.
Aug 28, 2018 12:18:57 #
selmslie wrote:
Rules or guidelines don't help you u when you are... (show quote)
The pure "Trial and Error" method.
Rules and guidelines help by giving the "leg" up to one's attempts. The rules and guidelines also provide suggestions as to what errors to avoid and why they are errors. Emphasizing Trial without having external information forces the continuing repetition of the error. (There are many ways to learn.)
As you state, "by learning from experience". It does not matter whose experience one uses as long as one actually learns to improve.
Aug 28, 2018 12:21:33 #
BebuLamar wrote:
There is no rule or boss if you take pictures for yourself and don't care what others think about your pictures. If you have to please others with your pictures whether they would pay for them or simply give you some praise then you have to know what most people like. Rules help in this regard as they based on what most people think.
Vincent Van Gogh, Jackson Pollock, Claude Monet and countless others created their artistic vision to express themselves, rules be hung. And the fact that their work was so far outside the mainstream of what "people thought" was good and acceptable at the time just underscores the fact that when you are overly concerned about "what the neighbors think" your artistic vision will be compromised to a greater or lesser degree. And there is a good chance that time will prove the neighbors wrong...
NOT talking about the pros - for you all, it's a job, not an adventure when you have to give the client what they want instead of what you see. NOT being critical or snarky, but it seems to me that if a client says I want this to look a certain way and no other, then you as a paid pro must capitulate to that desire, irrespective of whether your personal vision coincides with theirs. So, fire away, all you paid pros, but please leave our amateur visions unencumbered by rules designed to promote popularity or comport with today's propriety du jour.
Aug 28, 2018 12:25:25 #
Chaostrain wrote:
I've spent a lot of time studying the "rules&... (show quote)
There are rules and then there are laws. As there are in many things. Take driving, for instance. You see a solid, unbroken, single white line on the road. I have to tell my wife all of the time that it’s ok to cross it. The rule is you shouldn’t cross it. The law is you can, but with caution (don’t argue this point. I was a motor officer. I know)
Rules generally exist, imho, to recommend the safest course of action. The law exists because there are consequences for breaking them.
I see photography rules as suggestions intended to help us by explaining the experience of others to not only improve our skills, but more importantly to save us fro having to reinvent the wheel. I see the law of thirds, for example, almost always explained as a great way to make your compositions better. It’s nearly always accompanied by an explanation which is complicated, and which I would never have found on my own. It’s a rule. If you cross that white line, be careful. The result will not necessarily be death defying, but could be you taking a lot of bland pics. They helped ALL of us along the way, but after you know them, and understand the consequences, go ahead and drive over the white line.
Aug 28, 2018 12:27:13 #
tommystrat wrote:
Vincent Van Gogh, Jackson Pollock, Claude Monet and countless others created their artistic vision to express themselves, rules be hung.
Which rules did the above note-worthy artists "hung"? Just asking.
Check out Infrared Photography section of our forum.
Aug 28, 2018 12:34:40 #
SharpShooter wrote:
Chaos, so, assuming you tried that rule on a Tuesd... (show quote)
A pretty snarky reply. I suggest to you that Pablo Picasso et al, violated all the rules. His art is art. His art may not be attractive to you, but it remains art, and loved by many. Just because an expert such as yourself is critical of ones work doesn’t mean that the art is not art. It may be out of focus to your eye, but not to everyone’s.
Aug 28, 2018 12:47:05 #
Stephan G wrote:
Which rules did the above note-worthy artists "hung"? Just asking.
You are kidding, right?
Aug 28, 2018 13:12:24 #
Stephan G wrote:
... As you state, "by learning from experience". It does not matter whose experience one uses as long as one actually learns to improve.
It's good to learn from others' experiences. It's a lot less expensive. But the lesson will stick with you if you learn from your own mistakes.
My point is that you need to find a way to incorporate that learning into your instinct, psyche or style as a photographer so that you don't need to even think about the rules just before you take a picture.
There is a lot of time wasted here explaining how an otherwise mundane image has followed one particular rule or another. This is especially silly if it never occurred to the photographer in the first place.
We don't get points (gold stars) for showing up with an ordinary image that just happens to follow a particular rule. And you don't get points for not throwing up on your boss's wife at the Christmas party.
Aug 28, 2018 13:13:09 #
stanperry wrote:
You are kidding, right?
Actually, no. I am very serious.
I will even state that they had a very good handle on the rules.
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