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Why beginners follow rules and pro breaks them?


12 years 7 months ago #139866 by Cyber geek
It seems once a beginner knows the rules...such as composition, lighting etc.. we follow the rules. But I have seen photos from pros like on book covers where a head or leg is chopped off, a background is very dark, landscape shot is slated etc...

So why don't pros follow the rules?
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12 years 7 months ago #139884 by gusnelsonphotography
The rules don't always work with every picture. Sometimes a photographic subject looks better when its centered as oppossed to following the rule of thirds. For me, its what I think will make my subject stand out more. The rules are just basically guide lines.
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12 years 7 months ago #139885 by Baydream
Think of them as guidelines instead of rules. Once you know them, then you can make intelligent choices about when to "break the rules". Experience and practice count most.
Shoot, learn and share. It will make you a better photographer.
fineartamerica.com/profiles/john-g-schickler.html?tab=artwork
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12 years 7 months ago #139932 by Mike eats photos
1) There are no rules to composition nor photography save the governing rules of physics. There are guidlines which are based upon commonly aesthetically pleasing elemets within photos. These guidlines (sometimes called rules) are good to learn and use since they can help you compose more generally pleasing shots.

2) A pro is just a person with a camera who happens to get paid to use it. Nothing more nothing less, they have no level of skill that they have to pass save to be good enough for their employer/clients.

3) Its not enough to just follow the "rules" blindly; they are there and are taught to give beginners a place to start, however what is more important is to study and understand the why of the rule in the first place. Once you start to understand why the rule itself is important you can then make judgement calls about when you should and should not use a particular rule.

4) In short learn and study the rules, but never let your composition or views of others composition be totally limited by them.
The following user(s) said Thank You: PixieBlue, bernie-d
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12 years 7 months ago #139937 by Phil0
I have a friend who is also into photography. He's been doing it longer than I have and has more technical knowledge as well as a better camera. However, he is so bent on following these "rules" that many of my pictures come out better, and it leaves him scratching his head considering I have zero technical knowledge and experience in the field.

I don't really care about rules. If I like how I see something, I'm going to shoot it that way.
The following user(s) said Thank You: PixieBlue
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12 years 7 months ago #139944 by butterflygirl921

Baydream wrote: Think of them as guidelines instead of rules. Once you know them, then you can make intelligent choices about when to "break the rules". Experience and practice count most.




i was going to say that lol...but anyways different things work with different photos like dark backgrounds slanted lanscapes....even a head or leg cropped off....book covers are not always the best to look at and judge photographers on.
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12 years 7 months ago #140054 by Joves
Well when you are starting out consider the rules as lessons. Once you have learned them well enough then you can bend and break them.
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12 years 7 months ago - 12 years 7 months ago #140078 by Henry Peach

Baydream wrote: Think of them as guidelines instead of rules. Once you know them, then you can make intelligent choices about when to "break the rules". Experience and practice count most.


:agree:

Most of the so called rules of composition are exercises designed to try to expose beginners to new image design ideas, rather than just pointing the camera straight at the subject and centering everything. They are intended to get you out of the box, not put you into another one.

"To consult the rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of gravitation before going for a walk. Such rules and laws are deduced from the accomplished fact; they are the products of reflection..." -Edward Weston
mattneedham.zenfolio.com
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12 years 7 months ago #140081 by MLKstudios
Saul didn't always break them. But sometimes he really did:

vimeo.com/18304674
Matthew L Kees
MLK Studios Photography School
www.MLKstudios.com
[email protected]
"Every artist, was once an amateur"
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12 years 7 months ago - 12 years 7 months ago #140103 by MLKstudios
More by Saul:

www.howtobearetronaut.com/2011/09/colour...950s-by-saul-leiter/

Shows well how he uses (and composes) the entire frame.
Matthew L Kees
MLK Studios Photography School
www.MLKstudios.com
[email protected]
"Every artist, was once an amateur"
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12 years 7 months ago #140121 by icepics
I think it's like this w/other things too, you learn the basics - the skills and techniques - and as you get better at it you get more creative and find what works to take it beyond the basics.
Sharon
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12 years 7 months ago #140266 by Flash Steven
The pro's should know the limitations of certain fundamentals and understand what happens when you stretch the envelope. The beginner doesn't so must stay on path.
Canon 7D w/grip, Canon 40D, Canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS L Canon MPE 65mm f2.8 macro; Sigma 70-300mm f2.8; Sigma 150mm f2.8 macro; Sigma 8-16mm f4.5-5.6
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12 years 7 months ago - 12 years 7 months ago #140785 by Stealthy Ninja
Simple answer:
It looks cool bro.

Slightly less simple answer:
Pros know when breaking the rules will make a photo more interesting, so they do it.
img\def

www.aevansphoto.com
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12 years 7 months ago #140919 by One Wish
:agree: with the last 2 post, and a couple from up above too
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12 years 7 months ago #140929 by chasrich
I found that crayons allow that you color... Good crayon users color inside the lines... Better crayon users start selecting colors other than red and black for everything... advanced crayon users deploy shading techniques and blending of colors... Crayon artists throw out the coloring book and begin with a clean slate with no boundaries or restrictions.
“Amateurs worry about equipment, professionals worry about money, masters worry about light, I just make pictures… ” ~ Vernon Trent
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