and I need some help with a set portrait

[Hair Bear]

Fantastic shots on that site, thanks DMatt.

Interesting that the sofa shot appears to break all the rules about having the subject square on but the image is still fantastic.

3, do you think he put the dark edges on after the shot?

13, 27 and 29 are way cool

And I'm not letting them jump around on my sofa no 103! LOL

 

[Digital Matt]

Hair Bear, first thing is, there are no rules. Jeremy's photo works because he's bringing out the personalities of the characters. They are all quirky Christopher Guest mockumentary characters. If you plan to do a series of your friends, have them sit how they would sit if they were at home, curling up to watch tv.

 

[Hair Bear]

the rules are, there are no rules!

 

[celery]

the rules are, there are no rules!

Not quite.

When you are a beginner, there are lots of rules. And they should be respected, because they will help you grow as a photographer.

Once you know the rules and how to manipulate them, THEN there are no rules.

 

[Digital Matt]

I don't believe there are rules. There are reasons why certain things look good, and why others don't. Hair Bear looked at the photo I linked to, and pointed out that it appeared to "break all the rules". That kind of thinking only confuses a beginner and might prevent them from trying things. Learning what makes a strong composition is important, I agree, but calling them rules is counter productive imho.

 

[Hair Bear]

There is no spoon