Project 52 - Week 15: Breaking the Rules

There's an old saying that "rules were made to be broken."  There are a host of rules or guidelines in photography.  They are there to help photographers compose an image in the best way possible.  Some we have covered in this very blog circle in the past.

Rule of thirds, leading lines, framing, patterns, balance, and negative space are just some of the guidelines used to compose a great image.  But how do you know when to "break" a rule on purpose? It's not always easy.

Maybe a good way to start is by saying that every photographer has their own style and vision.  I admire many pet photographers who use different techniques to achieve their imagery.  For instance, wide angle distortion has become popular in pet photography. So much so, you see it everywhere, and used by many. Yet, years ago, wide angle distortion was avoided for portrait work.  Whimsical doggy faces with large noses are some of the things that make me smile.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 

We, as photographers, sometimes have to decide what looks best for a certain photo and what tells the best story.  As a pet photographer, I can tell you that we may find ourselves, at times, in not so great conditions (a wet field where we thought it would be dry, a rainy day when the forecast was sunny, etc.).  At those times, whether it be through post-processing or the images as they are taken, we are constantly working to give the client the best images possible for any given situation.

While I try to steadfastly follow the rules where my clients are concerned, I do enjoy doing things a little differently with my own pets.  For this week, I picked a few rules to break for very specific reasons.  Let's see what you think.

Goodness gracious, it's Harry.  Like we haven't seen him before.  He really wants me to let him in the house and can't for the life of him figure out why I am taking his picture instead.

The usual guideline is to try to have the subject facing the middle in a situation like this, or to have enough space beyond Harry's face to suggest he is going somewhere.  But if I had done that with this image, and we already know Harry wants to go IN and not SOMEWHERE, the image would not have told the correct story.  So I cropped the photo to show that Harry wants in that door.

Same kitty.  Now frustrated that I am still with the camera and not letting him in.  See that scowl.  It's a very real thing. This time I put Harry in the center of the photo (which, under the guidelines, is not usually desirable).  Normally I would try for a photo where he might be more to the left of this image, with more open space to the right of the image.  But I learned a few things while photographing Harry...(a) he's put on a little weight over the Winter months; (b) my front door needs to be painted; and (c) there's too many things on my front porch for photos (flower pots, stone bunnies for Easter, etc.).

If I had moved Harry more to the left of this image and opened up the right, the focus on him would have been lost.  It's also why I turned the photo black and white (and added a little bit of grunge to kitty)--to take the focus away from any color and just put it all on Harry.

Now below is something I almost NEVER do.

I don't tilt my camera at odd angles, because I am OCD about straight horizons.  The guideline people would really love me.  This is Moe, enjoying one of the first really sunny and warm days we have had since the Winter.  I know his expression doesn't suggest he is hanging on for dear life because someone tipped the earth and he is going to slide off, but for a while I could not even bring myself to edit this photo, because I had to turn my head completely sideways to be happy.

Now that I have looked at it for a while, it has kind of grown on me. (Okay, not really.)  This type of angled photography is very popular among wedding photographers.  I have seen some great images of brides throwing their bouquet in an angled photograph.  But I think I will stick to straight horizons.

See...isn't this better?  Moe has not changed his position at all.  I have.  With my camera. And all is right with the world.

To see what other rules have been broken, take a hop around the blog circle.  Start with BARKography by Kim Hollis in Charlotte, North Carolina, then work your way through the rest of the circle until you are once again back here.  As always, thanks for reading the blog, and to those who celebrate, Happy Easter!