Breaking The Rules: Examples Sought

While I know there are no rules in photography*, many do believe there are. What I hope people would be willing to share is links to great images which they feel break the rules and what rules they break. My interest here is in getting a wider grasp of what people think and feel when looking at images to help me hopefully one day elucidate my own constructive approach.

thanks,

Sean

* My approach is fairly technical and is entirely based on the human visual system (HVS) and manipulation of the HVS for results.

Interesting and important question!

The answers will be valuable!

Asher

Hi Sean,

Go on, give us an example to start us off. Its too broad, no rules, great images and the like.

Best wishes,

Ray

Examples

Ray West said:

Go on, give us an example to start us off. Its too broad, no rules, great images and the like.

Click to expand...

A couple of pages with examples to start with:

http://photoinf.com/General/Gloria_...osition_Articles_-_Breaking_all_the_Rules.htm

http://theonlinephotographer.blogspot.com/2006/06/great-photographers-on-internet.html (this is more tongue in cheek)

Some personal examples which I do not per se consider great, but are clear examples.

Hi Sean,

Thanks for the links, and your examples. However, I can't see the rules that are being broken.

The sea cucumber - That is a sort of 'scientific record' type of photograph, However it was cropped, provided the subject was within the frame, it would make little difference to it being ' a photo of a sea cucumber '. I do not see any such photo as complying too much with artistic rules, but more as a technical illustration.

The cat, well, the eye is at 2/3 rule position! It is interesting, maybe a rule is broken since the central area is out of focus, and the bit on the left, not being able to tell if its tail or leg, is in focus. That makes it a bit odd.

The third, is texture, shape, pattern, wallpaper, a different set of rules, I reckon.

That is just how I see it, maybe I have more rules, so easy to find some unbroken, maybe I have none, so breaking them means nothing.

Maybe artist's break rules, engineers make rules? Perhaps, once you've seen the first picture of a 'curled up cat', that in itself forms it own rule, one for 'curled up cats'.

Perhaps I am seeking the unusual. I do know I am getting a bit of image overkill, as alluded to elsewhere - not another sunset, etc....

Maybe some stimulation wrt rule breaking could be gleaned from the drawings of 'Escher', at least with regard to perspective, and others. Your third picture is tending towards some tiling, I suppose, but it would need some lens distortion, odd lighting or something to make it 'more peculiar'.

I don't know if it was a link from this forum, or a member here , or I got to it from elsewhere, but I came across a macro photography site the other day, the guy was producing works of art from his photos. But probably he was complying with rules of artistic composition, and using the macro image as a starting point for some ps painting. Perhaps, if you just break the rules, the results are ugly?

In recent times, I think this may be a good example of perhaps a different set of rules than the normal- http://www.pbase.com/sheila/image/49241495 (I hope Sheila doesn't mind my linking to it - perhaps she will join in).

Not much help, I'm afraid, and I tend to believe that the only point of some rules, is to try and break them.

Best wishes, Ray (PS - I reserve the right to change my mind the minute this is posted, if not b4)

Hi Sean,

Look here - http://www.openphotographyforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1138

What are the rules for portrait? Look at the camera, and all that. But any one of those, I think the subject would be delighted with. But, they comply with their own rules, don't they?

Best wishes,Ray