Lens-Artists,  Photographic techniques,  Themed galleries

Gallery: breaking the rules

May 5, 2025 / 63 Comments

Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist

Pablo Picasso

As children we are taught to follow the rules, whether those set by our parents, our school or society in general. And when we first start to take our photography seriously we discover that there are rules there too.

Among those I learned were:

The rule of thirds – placing your subject in the left or right third of an image, at the intersections of two equally spaced horizontal and two equally spaced vertical lines.

Leading lines – using human-made or natural lines to lead the viewer’s eyes through a photograph to the main subject or focus point.

Foreground interest – adding depth to a scene by placing a person or object in the foreground (it is sometimes advised to place a person wearing red at the front of a landscape, a devise I personally dislike).

Breathing space – allow some room around your main subject, don’t put it too close to the edge of the frame.

Choose your format – vertical shape for upright subjects such as people, horizontal for landscapes etc. (the formats are even called ‘portrait’ and ‘landscape’).

Exposure – a simple and obvious rule, as over- or under-exposing your subject will reduce its impact.

Focus – another obvious one, as why would you want your subject to be out of focus?

Depth of field – use a shallow depth of field for macros and portraits, but for landscapes have everything in focus.

Angle – hold the camera straight, don’t tilt the horizon.

Breaking or bending the rules

It’s perhaps really only once you have learned these rules and are applying them instinctively that you can also learn when and how to break them.

The secret of breaking rules in a way that works is understanding what the rules are in the first place

Rick Wakeman

For this week’s Lens Artists challenge Ritva is encouraging us to break the rules. Like her I found on searching my archives that I’m rather a stickler for the rules. On the whole I follow them instinctively, after so many years of taking photos. Nowadays my eye ‘sees in thirds’, often even when I’m not looking through a camera lens! And my pet hate in photography is to see the sea appearing to run downhill, especially when it’s so easy to fix these days.

Nevertheless, all the photos below break at least one of the rules I learned. However, in doing so you may spot that they follow a different rule, since some are contradictory. For instance, by breaking the ‘rule’ of thirds you may find yourself instead following the one that favours the use of symmetry to achieve a strong composition.

If you obey all the rules you miss all the fun

Katharine Hepburn
Wahiba Sands, Oman

This shot breaks the rule of thirds by placing the horizon right in the centre of the image. My aim was to focus attention on the car and passengers while giving equal weight to sand and sky. However, the placing of the people follows the rule!

On Baobab Beach, Madagascar

This is another shot that breaks the rule of thirds. But it does so by following another composition technique, the use of symmetry.

The ruined slave-trading fort on Kunta Kinteh Island, Gambia

A final rule of thirds breaker. This composition emphasises the smallness of the island under a hot African sky. Interestingly, I occasionally put a few of my images up for sale as stock shots on Dreamstime and this is my best-seller there. My guess is that buyers find the large expanse of sky useful for placing text.

Kim Il Sung Square and the Grand People’s Study House, Pyongyang, North Korea

For this shot I deliberately left the foreground empty as I wanted to emphasise the huge size of the square and the relative lack of people.

Egrets on the beach, Kovalam, Kerala, India

I deliberately over-exposed this shot in processing as I wanted to give the birds a more delicate, ethereal quality.

Green vervet monkey, Bijilo Monkey Park, Gambia

Another deliberate over-exposure (done in camera and emphasised in processing). I wanted to soften his fur and draw attention to those soulful eyes.

Rose, Ealing, west London

Softening the focus and zooming right in gives this rose a more delicate appearance and draws you into its heart.

The jacaranda blooms in my header photo are also deliberately out of focus to create a (hopefully) magical look to one of my favourite trees.

Hurricane Ridge, Olympic National Park, Washington State

In this image I’ve broken the rule that says landscape shots should have everything in focus. By using a shallower depth of field I’ve made the lupines the star of the shot while the out of focus mountains suggest the setting without being the centre of attention.

In Swaledale, Yorkshire, England

This shot breaks the rule that suggests that landscape photos should be taken in a landscape format. By shooting in portrait mode I hoped to emphasise the impression of looking up at that tree on the horizon.

The Rockefeller Center, NYC

Shots of tall buildings often necessitate breaking the rules, as it’s only possible to fit the building in if you tilt the camera. And this technique can add dynamism to the shot.

Carnival in Praia, Santiago, Cape Verde

And using a tilted angle here adds real dynamism and movement to echo the carnival atmosphere.

Ahu Tahai, Rapa Nui (Easter Island)

With this shot I’m challenging the rule that says you shouldn’t put your main subject too close to the edge of the frame. But I would argue this moai has plenty of breathing space above. And I wanted to frame the head with that beautiful sky. The rule of thirds is also ignored but as with the Baobab Beach shot above, I’ve used symmetry instead to draw attention to the main subject.

Sunset in the Thar Desert, Rajasthan, India

This image also breaks the breathing space rule as that camel is placed far too close to the edge of the frame. It also breaks the rule of thirds. However, I think this composition emphasises the vastness of the desert skies contrasted with the smallness of the people and animals who inhabit it. You can’t see any people? Look carefully next to and even in the bush!

63 Comments

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