The Perilous Art of Rule-Breaking in Photography!

The images you appreciate today are frequently brimming with “violated rules” – bold central framing where the rule of thirds was once deemed “essential,” deliberate overexposure of highlights when “correct exposure” was the standard, or motion blur when crystal-clear photographs were anticipated. These rule-defying approaches have evolved into new benchmarks.

You don’t need to grasp every detail to produce something significant.

Perhaps you realize you appreciate how a lens flare appears when photographing directly towards the sun, even though that’s traditionally regarded as a “blunder” in landscape photography.

Or you might find that slightly underexposing your photographs evokes a mood you cherish. In due time, you could open a photography volume and discover, “Oh, that method I accidentally stumbled upon? It’s actually known as ‘low-key photography,’ a practice photographers have been utilizing since the 1930s!”

That’s absolutely acceptable – you arrived there through creative experimentation, just as many musicians find themselves discovering chord progressions or techniques that others have pioneered long ago.

The pleasure and worth lie in the exploration and personal creative odyssey, not in adhering to a set path of regulations.

That being stated, Marty Neumeier discusses in his book The 46 Rules of Genius what he refers to as the Genius Paradox and how to reconcile it by responding to the rules—by either accepting them or flouting them, observing the outcomes, and subsequently reformulating the regulations based on your own insights.

The principle essentially asserts that to adhere to the tenets of creativity, one must first contravene them. And in doing this, you ultimately find yourself adhering to them—since the paramount rule is to defy the rules.

“You’ll discover that there are rules for creativity—your rules. They may not align with those followed by others, but they’ll be genuine and beneficial to you.”

I have devoted years to investigating and instructing the balance between regulations and creative liberation. There exists a more effective means to express your authentic self, truthfully, and in harmony with your aspirations than by strictly enforcing any ‘rule’ you encounter.

This is precisely what I concentrate on in my photography workshops, aiding you in expediting the enhancement of your skills and vision.

With appropriate guidance, you can bypass the stress of trial and error, focus on what genuinely matters, and commence producing images that embody your distinctive viewpoint.