Why beginners follow rules and pro breaks them?

[LarryD]

I think that you need to look at photographs and ask, "What rules are being followed", and not blindly say that such-and-such rule was broken...

the "rules" are not hard and fast, but are simply well known artistic guidelines that have been known by artists, set designers, Architects, photographers, etc., for ages as to what is pleasing to the human eye.. I would bet that you will find many of those properties in any good photograph ...

You might also cut the photographer some slack too, when a magazine layout editor has cropped his photo differently than might be done if the magazine was in a format closer to the original photo.. or moved the photo around to add text or graphics............

 

[coreduo]

I`ve learned my lessons. Our pictures reflect the credibility and professionalism of the pros in here. So once òne is told he should not repeat it again. I admit I have been complacent. But not anymore.

 

[sovietdoc]

Beginners tend to take too many horizontal photos of people, stand too far away, take too long to compose, and place subjects dead center in the middle of the photo. All of this leads to poor photographs.

I am shooting a landscape up in the mountains, zo noes, I've been taking my shot for 45 seconds instead of 15. Yup, my shot will definitely be poor because I actually took the time to compose, not like other peeps with their 5d mk2's and leica's who point and shoot. Uh huh.

What leads to poor photographs is actually not thinking enough of what you're shooting and how you should shoot it. Yes, you can go around, point and shoot a lot without much thought, a higher number of your shots will most likely to be garbage than if you think about what you shoot.

I am not saying you should stand there for minutes and minutes, but if you see a good shot, you should do everything you can so that the initial shot is perfect, no matter how long it takes. You can crop it on PC but you can't PP it enough if it's completely OOF or something big got in the way.

Though on a completely serious note, the difference between a pro and a beginner/advanced user is the fact that pro gets paid for his work and the others don't.

 

[white]

You can never take too long to compose a shot. As long as you are thinking about what you are doing, or what you intend to do with the photograph, you are on the right track.

 

[ghpham]

You can never take too long to compose a shot. As long as you are thinking about what you are doing, or what you intend to do with the photograph, you are on the right track.

That's only true for landscape. Your clients won't be please if each time you shoot you take 5 minutes to compose.

 

[Petraio Prime]

Beginners tend to take too many horizontal photos of people, stand too far away, take too long to compose, and place subjects dead center in the middle of the photo. All of this leads to poor photographs.

I am shooting a landscape up in the mountains, zo noes, I've been taking my shot for 45 seconds instead of 15. Yup, my shot will definitely be poor because I actually took the time to compose, not like other peeps with their 5d mk2's and leica's who point and shoot. Uh huh.

What leads to poor photographs is actually not thinking enough of what you're shooting and how you should shoot it. Yes, you can go around, point and shoot a lot without much thought, a higher number of your shots will most likely to be garbage than if you think about what you shoot.

I am not saying you should stand there for minutes and minutes, but if you see a good shot, you should do everything you can so that the initial shot is perfect, no matter how long it takes. You can crop it on PC but you can't PP it enough if it's completely OOF or something big got in the way.

Though on a completely serious note, the difference between a pro and a beginner/advanced user is the fact that pro gets paid for his work and the others don't.

If it takes you an inordinately long time to compose the shot just disappears. People or animals move around, and often react to your presence. I wasn't talking about landscape work. The ability to see a scene and compose virtually instantly is important in dynamic situations. It is important to react instinctively, not think, just like a sport-player.

 

[JG_Coleman]

If it takes you an inordinately long time to compose the shot just disappears. People or animals move around, and often react to your presence. I wasn't talking about landscape work. The ability to see a scene and compose virtually instantly is important in dynamic situations. It is important to react instinctively, not think, just like a sport-player.

While this is true, such advice can be misleading. To relate this back to the original post, genuinely skilled sports players spend plenty of time practicing many basic techniques and tactics so that their instinctive, non-thinking reactions come out refined and intelligent... so that their split-second decisions are correct decisions, not rushed and sloppy.

Likewise, spending time learning the basics of composition is important in building a photographic style that can be instinctive and impulsive without being sloppy, unrefined, and relying too heavily on luck to produce a good shot.

 

[c.cloudwalker]

There are no rules in photography. There are guidelines developed over hundreds of years by artists (yes, not just photographers) who figured out what was pleasing or not.

The reason newbies are pushed to study and use the guidelines is that you can't leave them to the side if you don't know what they are. Of course, anybody is welcome to re-invent the wheel but that's a waste of time imo.

When you know the guidelines and why they work, you will figure why it also works to ignore them.

Most slanted photos I see on the forum are good examples of photographers who don't understand the guidelines. They slant because they think it's different but, in most cases, it doesn't work. For ignoring a guideline to work, it has to add something to the image instead of being done for the hell of it.

Cheers.

 

[Petraio Prime]

If it takes you an inordinately long time to compose the shot just disappears. People or animals move around, and often react to your presence. I wasn't talking about landscape work. The ability to see a scene and compose virtually instantly is important in dynamic situations. It is important to react instinctively, not think, just like a sport-player.

While this is true, such advice can be misleading. To relate this back to the original post, genuinely skilled sports players spend plenty of time practicing many basic techniques and tactics so that their instinctive, non-thinking reactions come out refined and intelligent... so that their split-second decisions are correct decisions, not rushed and sloppy.

Likewise, spending time learning the basics of composition is important in building a photographic style that can be instinctive and impulsive without being sloppy, unrefined, and relying too heavily on luck to produce a good shot.

Yes, but we were talking about what beginners do. They are often hesitant in dynamic situations. This is fatal. You're going to miss some. If you don't take anything, you miss all of them!

 

[table1349]

There are no rules in photography. There are guidelines developed over hundreds of years by artists (yes, not just photographers) who figured out what was pleasing or not.

The reason newbies are pushed to study and use the guidelines is that you can't leave them to the side if you don't know what they are. Of course, anybody is welcome to re-invent the wheel but that's a waste of time imo.

When you know the guidelines and why they work, you will figure why it also works to ignore them.

Most slanted photos I see on the forum are good examples of photographers who don't understand the guidelines. They slant because they think it's different but, in most cases, it doesn't work. For ignoring a guideline to work, it has to add something to the image instead of being done for the hell of it.

Cheers.

Except for the rules of physics, you are correct.

 

[Petraio Prime]

There are no rules in photography. There are guidelines developed over hundreds of years by artists (yes, not just photographers) who figured out what was pleasing or not.

The reason newbies are pushed to study and use the guidelines is that you can't leave them to the side if you don't know what they are. Of course, anybody is welcome to re-invent the wheel but that's a waste of time imo.

When you know the guidelines and why they work, you will figure why it also works to ignore them.

Most slanted photos I see on the forum are good examples of photographers who don't understand the guidelines. They slant because they think it's different but, in most cases, it doesn't work. For ignoring a guideline to work, it has to add something to the image instead of being done for the hell of it.

Cheers.

Except for the rules of physics, you are correct.

Another point is that beginners all too often are easily impressed by 'techniques' rather than 'technique'; they believe the former is what makes photos good. It isn't.

 

[white]

You can never take too long to compose a shot. As long as you are thinking about what you are doing, or what you intend to do with the photograph, you are on the right track.

That's only true for landscape. Your clients won't be please if each time you shoot you take 5 minutes to compose.

No, I'm pretty sure it's true for all situations. Beginners usually don't have clients. And there are six billion people on the planet doing all kinds of things -- there are always moments to capture.

When I learned guitar, I was told to play as slowly and as accurately as possible. Obviously I knew I wouldn't always be so slow, but I think if I hadn't taken the time for correct practice, I wouldn't be nearly as good or as accurate as I am now.

I was trying to suggest that it is far more useful to think and compose, and not worry about "missing the shot".

 

[c.cloudwalker]

You can never take too long to compose a shot. As long as you are thinking about what you are doing, or what you intend to do with the photograph, you are on the right track.

That's only true for landscape. Your clients won't be please if each time you shoot you take 5 minutes to compose.

No, I'm pretty sure it's true for all situations. Beginners usually don't have clients. And there are six billion people on the planet doing all kinds of things -- there are always moments to capture.

When I learned guitar, I was told to play as slowly and as accurately as possible. Obviously I knew I wouldn't always be so slow, but I think if I hadn't taken the time for correct practice, I wouldn't be nearly as good or as accurate as I am now.

I was trying to suggest that it is far more useful to think and compose, and not worry about "missing the shot".

+1

I've never had a client tell me I worked too slow either. Why should they? They pay for a job, not by the hour, and I don't take jobs that were needed yesterday. I don't like being rushed especially by people who rush around because they think it makes them look like busy, important people.

 

[sovietdoc]

Okay wtf, a friend on mine went took a photography class at her school. Apparently they told her there that if you shoot things at an angle, it looks cool, so she has been going around shooting at an angle a lot. They didn't tell her when it was applicable or why it was "cool" in the first place. Here is one of the shots she took on her trip to Prague. Tell me, does this angle really work for this type of shot? Because if it was up to me I'd say no. Old architecture ffs.

 

[ghpham]

That's only true for landscape. Your clients won't be please if each time you shoot you take 5 minutes to compose.

No, I'm pretty sure it's true for all situations. Beginners usually don't have clients. And there are six billion people on the planet doing all kinds of things -- there are always moments to capture.

When I learned guitar, I was told to play as slowly and as accurately as possible. Obviously I knew I wouldn't always be so slow, but I think if I hadn't taken the time for correct practice, I wouldn't be nearly as good or as accurate as I am now.

I was trying to suggest that it is far more useful to think and compose, and not worry about "missing the shot".

They paid to have their photo's taken, not to be tortured. Seriously, if you take more than 5 minutes to pose anyone for a single shot, they won't likely have any smiles left by the time you think you have "perfect" shot.


+1

I've never had a client tell me I worked too slow either. Why should they? They pay for a job, not by the hour, and I don't take jobs that were needed yesterday. I don't like being rushed especially by people who rush around because they think it makes them look like busy, important people.

Yes, but they paid to have their photo's taken, not to be tortured. Seriously, if you take anymore than 5 minutes to get that "perfect" shot, your client won't be in such a good mood to continue on.