5 Photography “Rules” I Don’t Follow

Photography doesn’t have to be as hard as a lot of people online make it out to be.

Which is why my post today on Instagram outlines a few ‘rules’ that I don’t actually stick to. Why? Because it just suits me.

We all know the app can be a nightmare though, so I thought I’d send over the script so that it’s yours for as long as you want to read it:

Shooting Manual

If you have to, yeah of course. However I’d rather shoot on something like Aperture Priority 90% of the time so I can focus more on what’s around me than my camera settings. Which leads us on to…

Getting it right in camera

RAW files are so powerful that it’s not the end of the world if some things are a bit off. Plus leaving your shots open to interpretation through things like cropping can make them more interesting than if you ‘nailed’ the composition in the first place.

Reading the camera manual

If you know how to take photos with your camera, you’re good. You don’t need to know what the magic setting on the seventh page of your menu does, and if you do, just google it.

Editing tone curves

Yes the presets I use have curves, but other than that I’m sliders (and masks) all the way. If your photo is compelling enough, no one should care about the ‘roll off’ between your blacks and shadows.

Niche down

You as a brand might need to niche down, but you as a photographer are welcome to shoot whatever you want. You’re a human with free-will after all.