Ritva states this week’s challenge like this: “We work so hard to learn the photography rules (at least I do), but now it is time to BREAK them!! The problem is just that in order to break a rule, you must know that there is a rule in the first place!”

Well, I never really studied photography, but Ann-Christine from the blog “Leya” was kind enough to post this graphic, which I found on Etsy:

So, it would seem that there are “rules” for composition, and probably rules for light exposure, focus, color treatment, and maybe a lot more factors as well. And what would be the point of breaking any of these rules? Possibly it would open an opportunity to “see” something quite differently. For instance, what if your group shot didn’t include faces, but feet?

This shot will always remind me of standing in the rain in New Orleans with my family as we waited for a table at a popular restaurant.

And what if you hadn’t prepared for a shot in any way at all but just pointed your camera at something happening around you at took your chances? You might record a moment of spontaneous action, Life in all its unpredictable beauty.

And what if the only thing you get is cluttered and out of focus and poorly lit – but happens to be exactly how the scene felt? When there just isn’t time to follow the rules, maybe it’s better to live in the moment and improvise. Get jazzed!