Okay, you caught me...not really a badass. In fact I'm probably about as un-suave as they come. (Good thing I got married young!) However, like a badass, I plan on breaking some rules tonight. The trick to breaking rules is that you need to know what the rules are so that you can them smash them into tiny bits with a giant hammer you stole from a construction site and meant to take back, but then forgot so now it sits in your closet..............ahem. So lets discuss! Following are some of the common "rules" of photography that I will discuss. Some are common sense, some aren't really rules, more just suggestions, yada yada yada.
1. The rule of thirds
2. Leading Lines
3. Exposure
4. Tack sharp
5. Creating Depth
...and so many many more.
Things to keep in mind as you read...
1. Along with each section (where available), I have placed an image that contradicts the rule and a reason for its existence.
2. There are many more "rules" than those I have listed. For a listing of these see Google :)
3. Rules suck. They are confining and conformist. Don't think of these as rules, but as guidelines. The idea is to learn the rules, then ignore them as your eye becomes drawn to interesting shots.
4. Notice I reference "natural visual appeal" a lot (indirectly). Most of this stuff is already ingrained in our heads, we just haven't necessarily named it. As per rule #3 and Toucan-Sam, just follow your nose.
The Rule of Thirds: This is probably the most common rule. Say you took a photograph and
placed a line a third (and then 2/3) of the way across the image, so now you have 2 lines. Then you do this both horizontally and vertically. 2 + 2 = ...come on everyone say it with me. (I have heard a pretty convincing argument for 1 + 1 = 3 before, but thats another story entirely) By positioning objects/people along these lines, we can make our photographs more visually appealing as these points are where our eyes are naturally drawn. Don't ask me why its not the middle...I am not God (though it sure would make parking a lot easier). Even better is to position key elements (like eyeballs) at the intersection of these lines. I love this picture because the eye of this horse is so immense and the way his mane parts is SO cool that the power of this image draws not from the eye being at one of the "key" positions, but being smack in the middle where it can see into your soul. Yes...it has that power.
Leading Lines: This involves the use of lines (like railroad tracks, pool cues, cliffs, huge noses) to draw our viewers eyes towards a specific point. Whether something is at the end of that line doesn't really matter, it just adds visual appeal.
Exposure: This refers to how well the subject is exposed (duh)...okay what is exposure. Well, a short answer would be how well we adjust our camera to capture the light available to be able to view our subject properly (very vague, I know). For a more thorough explanation, I highly recommend the book Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. It is pretty much the best out there and pretty inexpensive to boot. The long and the short is that we don't want our pictures to be too dark or too light. Like Goldilocks, we want our soup just right. Okay, so this image was an accident, but one I am glad I made. While the image, is not black and white, due to the under-exposure it walks that line between the world of color and the world of shade giving off an interesting perspective on the twilight hour.
Tack Sharp: This basically means we want our images sharp as a tack at the spots where it will be the most interesting (though I'm pretty sure the origin of the wording has nothing to do with that). The most common example of this would be someone's eyes. Generally speaking, we would want these to be the sharpest part of the image. (The eyes are the window to the soul!...well...so is the mouth, but only if you are a good cook). I love this picture of the sunset reflecting off of a lake for its abstract appeal. I like it not because it is a sunset, but because, had I not taken it, I would have no idea what it was, and would therefore be forced to asses it solely based on composition (on which this image relies). That is another good point: often when we break one rule, it is so that we can better achieve a visual experience best portrayed by another guideline. For example, this image relies heavily on the rule of thirds.
Creating Depth: Flat images tend to make us feel trapped and confined. A way to open these up and give our viewers some breathing room is by placing something in the foreground and something in the background of our photograph. For example I could take a picture of a flower with a mountain in the background. I love this photograph because of its directness. There is no searching around for what this could be a photograph of or which portion of the image should be the primary focus. It is flat, but direct and to the point.
