Breaking Photographic Rules..?

In photography there are many rules. In fact some frustrated creatives have been heard to argue that there are too many rules. Others counter that argument by stating the rules have evolved over a huge expanse of time and anyway who are you to question the rules?

There are many rules. Rules such as:

1/. Don't photograph into the sun.
2/. Don't use direct flash.
3/. Don't put people central in a frame.
4/. Don't shoot people from below.

The truth about rules, like so many other things in life, is somewhere in between. If you don't know the rules or if you dismiss them out of hand without understanding their purposes and limitations, then you may well fail to realise your creative potential. You just won't have the right creative tools to make good choices to reach your full potential.

However if you let the rules bind you rigidly without thinking for yourself, without allowing your own creative style to develop, then you'll forever be a pale imitation of someone elses ideas.