Like anything else in life, photography is full of rules. These rules serve as guidelines to help you to create more visually appealing images. From composition rules to settings and post-processing rules, there is a rule for almost everything you can do with your camera. And while it is generally in your best interest to follow the rules, there is almost always a scenario where you should bend or break them. This article will cover the five most commonly used photography rules and when to break them.
Photography Rules to Follow (and When to Break Them)
Rule of Thirds
The rule of thirds is one of the most well-known and used photography rules. When you hear the rule of thirds, understand that this means to include the subject of your scene and any other major elements on the one-third marks in your image. Photographers so widely use this rule that most cameras even offer a rule of thirds grid to help you take better images by using the grid.
This is a really good entry-level rule designed to help photographers avoid boring and “standard” snapshot-type compositions. Paying attention to the grid forces you to create a more creative composition with supporting elements accompanying your subject.
When to Break the Rule
Not all scenes lend themselves well to the rule of thirds grid. Only use the rule of thirds if your scene has an interesting supporting cast of other elements in the frame. Using the rule of thirds without other supporting elements in your photo will create an image that isn’t exciting. Additionally, images with symmetry can be very appealing. And in this case, you would want to avoid using the rule of thirds. Most importantly, ensure that every element in your composition adds to the scene. Refrain from feeling compositionally constricted by the gridlines on your camera’s LCD screen.
Expose to the Right
Exposing to the right is a photography rule referring to the camera’s histogram, which is a graph displaying the amount of pixels in each tonal range. Exposing to the right means making your image as bright as possible without having any values on the graph touching the far right side. Any pixels on the right side of the graph are over-exposed, meaning that you won’t be able to bring back any detail in post-processing. Exposing to the right gives you the most possible detail in the shadows without clipping the highlights.
In most cases, following this rule will be your best bet, especially with the power of post-processing software. Keeping this detail in scenes with very high dynamic range can prove challenging. Thus, expose to the right.
When to Break the Rule
Blowing out the highlights in certain scenes makes sense. If you’re shooting directly into the sun, having a blown-out area around the sun will look far better than having the whole scene be dark to expose the sun properly. Additionally, if you’re shooting portraits, it may make sense for you to allow the background to blow out and reduce its visual interest. Exposing like this will keep your viewers’ eyes on the subject. If overexposing may help simplify your scene, avoiding exposure to the right may be a good idea.
I avoided exposing to the right in this scene because I wanted to blow out the details in the sun to help keep the scene simple and keep the viewer’s eye on the subject of the scene.
Shoot at the Lowest Possible ISO
Most cameras have an ISO that can go as low as 100 or even 50. Whether you shoot in aperture priority, shutter priority, auto, or manual, keeping the ISO as low as possible is usually in your best interest. Put simply, ISO adjusts the sensitivity of your camera’s sensor to light. ISO makes up the third side of the exposure triangle. To create a properly exposed image, you must balance this with aperture and shutter speed. Generally, keeping the ISO as low as possible is best to create images with the lowest noise. As you raise the ISO, less light is needed to create a properly exposed photo, which results in more noise/grain in your images. Too high an ISO can cause a lack of detail in your photos and create other unwanted effects.
More often than not, you’ll want to keep the ISO as low as possible. However, once in a blue moon, you may find a circumstance worth raising the ISO for one reason or another.
When to Break the Rule
Raising the ISO to increase the sensitivity to light in the camera can benefit you in two different ways. You can increase the shutter speed or stop down the aperture to compensate for increasing the ISO. Some of the best photographers understand how to use this to create creative effects in their photos. Increasing the shutter speed for scenes where your subject may be moving will help you capture a sharp photo. For this, you may need to use a higher ISO. Increased ISO might be necessary when stopping down the aperture to achieve a greater depth of field in your images. Lastly, many photographers like the look of grain or noise in their images. Rather than relying on post-processing software to add this look for you, raise your ISO to add grain in-camera.
I needed to raise the ISO in this scene to speed up the shutter speed. While I could have lowered the ISO, dropped the shutter speed, and still got a sharp image, the faster shutter speed allowed me to show off the power of the rushing water.
Only Shoot at Golden Hour
It’s no secret that golden hour is one of the best times to shoot photos. Whether you shoot landscapes, portraits, or anything else outside, the natural light during the hour before sunset and the hour after sunrise is fantastic for photography. The light is so good that many photographers will tell you to ONLY shoot during golden hour, altogether avoiding photography during the other times of the day. The golden hour offers soft light and far less extreme contrasts between the shadows and the highlights, making it a great time to capture photos outdoors.
During the middle of the day, the sun can often cast harsh highlights and shadows on the landscape and your subject, making it a more challenging time for photography. Despite these challenges, if you know where and when to look, you can still find some great shots outside the golden hour.
When to Break the Rule
Not all great scenes require soft, golden light to capture fantastic images. The middle of the day can be acceptable for photography on overcast and sunny days if you look to find areas in complete shadow. After all, many scenes photograph better under flat light, and shooting during the golden hour wouldn’t serve any additional benefit in these situations.
Some scenes work better under flat light, so you don’t need to shoot during golden hour.
Never Center Your Subject
Similar to the rule of thirds, this is another rule many photographers will tell you to avoid. Centering your subject is often considered a “boring” way to compose your image. Creating a composition that isn’t centered often provides a better photo. Always aiming to center your subject can give you tunnel vision, causing you to miss some of the surroundings in your image that you could use to create a more visually pleasing scene.
Moving your subject around in the scene can also give your photos an artistic look, making your photos more like art and less like snapshots. Even still, there are many situations where centering your subject will provide the most visually appealing composition.
When to Break the Rule
Don’t feel restricted to avoiding centering your subject. Especially when shooting in portrait or vertical mode, it can be challenging to do anything other than center to subject. Often, other elements can be distracting. Additionally, balance in your images is important. If you don’t have something to balance the off-center subject with, keeping your subject in the center of the frame may be best.
There was nothing but grass surrounding this buffalo, so it didn’t make sense to do anything other than center the subject.
Conclusion
Feel free to break the rules, make mistakes, and take as many photos as possible. Photography rules set a baseline for beginner photographers. As you grow more comfortable with your camera and the image creation process, you’ll find a style and workflow that works for you. Often, this will mean breaking many rules on the way there. As with anything else, practice makes perfect, and rules can broken as you see fit.
