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There is no way to break compositional rules, only move to more advanced rules

May 22, 2016 by Udi Tirosh 14 Comments

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composition-new-rules-05

Of course it follows the rule of thirds, It has to to be a good photo, right? I am not sure. You can always “break the rules”, to make a good photo, which loughs at the composition rules…

This display of power from Photographer James Allen Stewart shows that there is no way around the rules, there are only more intricate rules that make a good photo.

For example the balance between light and dark. Dark is heavy, so to balance dark you need lots of light. This is very true and if you think that dark and light are easy, just add some color into it, it then gets very complex.

compare the photos below, the first one is done with the rule of thirds, the second takes light/dark balance into account.

composition-new-rules-01

composition-new-rules-02

Direction of the photos plays a part too. As someone who reads right to left, I usually start scanning a photo from the right, but most of the (western) world reads from left to right, and so the “story” of the photo reads from left to right.

If you consider a photo as a story, then an image is “read” from left to right, you want to start with an exposition, move to a climax and end with a fade.

see if you feel differently with the two photos below:

composition-new-rules-03 composition-new-rules-04

[How To Break The Rules Of Composition | James Allen Stewart via nofolmschool]

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Related posts:

How to break the rules like a pro and not like a beginner Five composition rules of filmmaking, and how to break them Should you follow or break the rules in photography? Learn to understand the “rules” so you know when and how to break them

Filed Under: Tutorials Tagged With: composition, elements of composition, rule of thirds

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.net

About Udi Tirosh

Udi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

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Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

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