autofocus wrote:
Let me start by saying kudos for a terrific post and subject, and one that many can benefit by. As for my thoughts on the subject I believe in the rules or guidelines, and use and adherence to them does, and will make a difference in one's work. And there's nothing new about them having been used and developed by the masters over the centuries, and who am I to say "they should be broken." I think we have three schools of shooters to consider, and maybe some would fit into all three categories of them. One, you have the photographer who wants to create art in their work, and the rules mean a lot to those folks. Then you have the casual shooter who's mostly interested in some memory shots of the family, or the places they visited. And maybe for those folks a tree branch "growing" out of their granddaughter's head is less of a problem, it's all about capturing that moment and having it to cling to. And, lastly, the photojournalistic photographer where the photo is all about impact, and the rules are often not even considered. I think a good example of that would be that classic Vietnam era photo of that little Vietnamese girl running and crying with much of her clothing burned off from napalm. I'd doubt if that photographer was too concerned about the rules when he shot that. But, the impact will be long remembered.
The rules of design and composition are just a part of it, but a good part, IMO. You might add some subsets about some of the guidelines about the types and styles of lighting used, portrait do's and don'ts like where to crop, and where not to crop, or just where and how to place the hands in a portrait. Books with full chapters are written about these things. But, when it comes to the category one folks mentioned above all of these things become important, and can be a wonderful study. And it's all what makes photography the interesting subject that it is. And in this shot below I knowingly broke a few of the rules. :)
Let me start by saying kudos for a terrific post a... (
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