Photography rules are not meant to be followed strictly

Tuesday 29 April 2025, 14:07 by Nando Harmsen | 2,659 views | 2 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

Rules exist for a reason. They prevent chaos and anarchy. It is good to distinguish between necessary rules and less necessary ones. In photography, you do not have to follow the rules so strictly. You are allowed to ignore them.

If there is a rule, there is always a reason for it. You are not allowed to drive faster than permitted, even if you think it is ridiculous in that particular place. You cannot just knock someone down, even if you think that person deserves it.

Everything in the centre of the frame? For some, that is an absolute no-go. They think everything must be kept out of the centre, at all costs.
There are also photographers who follow some rules in photography very strictly. Sometimes even more strictly than a rule about speeding. You must keep the subject at 1/3. You must have your subject fully in the frame. You must have a foreground in your photo.

When it comes to photography, you do not have to follow the rules so neatly. So do not see them as rules, but as a tool. A guideline that can make taking photographs easier. You do have to be prepared to ignore them as well.

The top of the tree is not in the frame. Some have convinced themselves that it must be included, without looking at the overall picture.
This means, for example, that you should not move heaven and earth to comply with the rule of thirds. You should not cling rigidly to getting a subject completely in the frame either. It is better to look at what is beautiful. Just trust your instincts.

You can take this even further with a camera's settings. Anyone who claims that manual settings must be used has not understood it. Anyone who thinks that only one setting produces good results for action, for example, is thinking too much in boxes.

The bird is sharp in the frame, but oh dear... According to some, the camera settings were not right. I should have used manual because that is the only way... (you can fill in the rest yourself).
Ultimately, the most important thing in photography is the end result. It does not matter whether the rule of thirds was followed, or any other rule for that matter. It does not matter whether the settings are exactly according to your rules.

It is all about the end result. Are you happy with it and do you like the photo? Then the photo is a success.

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