Portrait of young African-American woman.

Most photographers are familiar with rules of thumb such as the rule of thirds and suggestions like “don’t cut people’s heads off”. For the most part, these are pretty good tips to follow. You should definitely have a grounding in and basic understanding of them, even if you don’t always abide by them.

Before we go any further, let me remind you that my eBook Tips, Tricks and Pics is available to purchase for $5.

What’s that? You can break the rules?

Sometimes throwing those rules of thumb out the window makes for a much stronger photograph. Face it, if every portrait filled every frame, or every landscape followed the rule of thirds, it’d introduce a sameness to the images that would end up looking a bit boring. As a creative artist, stepping outside the normal bounds is often where your creativity can shine. You can develop your own style and vision in the way that you want it to exist, not in the way someone else tells you it should exist.

For the image above, I had this particular shot in mind from before I’d even set the shot up. I knew I wanted her to be cut in half on the very edge of the frame, looking back. I knew I wanted it toned this way. To me it works, it’s a strong image. To others it may not be. Each to their own. So take the time to try a few things in a slightly different manner. You may surprise yourself.

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