6 Photography Rules That Can Be Broken (2024)

The rules of photography are taught to create great photos, but some rules are meant to be broken.And, we’re here to tell you which ones.

Every photographer is familiar with the so-called “rules” of photography. They exist to guide photographers on the fundamentals of taking a well-composed shot. But, rather than calling them rules, it’s perhaps more appropriate to call them guidelines or best practices because, as is the case with any creative medium, rules can be broken.

While moving away from creative guardrails can be intimidating, we’ll discuss ways you can break these tried and true rules effectively, from framing to focusing your shot.

Rule 1: The Rule of Thirds

Rule of thirds is a composition guideline that places the subject in the left or right third of the frame. In doing so, you leave the other two-thirds of the frame open. While there are a variety of different compositional techniques, the rule of thirds is a tried and trusted creative guardrail.

That said, there are ways you can break the rule of thirds.

One way you can do this is by filling the frame—a technique of composing an image so that positive space takes up most, if not all, of the frame. Positive space typically includes a single subject, centered right in the middle of the shot, framed up close so it entirely fills the frame.

You can do this by getting close to a subject, using a zoom lens, macro lens, or cropping an image when editing.

Let’s say your subject is a small part of your image, consider pulling back from your subject while ensuring they’re centered in the shot. Opting to place your subject dead center like this can enhance symmetry, which creates a more harmonious image as it evokes balance.

You can do this by depicting your subject standing dead center between two columns, or framed walking along a pier in the middle of the shot.

Rule 2: Sufficient Headroom

In photography, headroom simply means you leave a sufficient amount of room above your subject’s head so you don’t evoke the feeling of being trapped.

While we’ve been taught to avoid this, you can use this technique if the feeling of entrapment is what you want to evoke.

You can do this by simply pinning the subject’s face to the very edge of the frame.

Rule 3: Including Your Subject’s Limbs

We’re often told to avoid cutting off our subject’s joints as it creates the feeling that the limbs don’t continue past the frame. If we see the joint, our brains subconsciously fill in the limb.

The opposite is true if we cut off the joints in the frame, as it creates a sense of tension because we subconsciously think the rest of the limb doesn’t exist. You can omit this rule if you have good reason to.

If tension is the exact feeling you’d like to evoke, then, by all means, cut off the joints of your subject to drive that sense of tension in your shot.

You can do this by framing your subject in the bottom quadrant of your shot.

Rule 4: Keep Your Shot in Focus

Some photographers really care about how sharp the focus of a photo is. To them, an out-of-focus photo is sloppy and ruins the integrity of the image.

That said, out-of-focus imagery can evoke a wide range of emotions, from loss and confusion to a sense of being carefree.

By slowing down the shutter speed, you are essentially dragging the light, which can illicit a fun party vibe or a sense of time passing.

Rule 5: Always Have a Clean Background

Another important rule of photography is ensuring the background of your photo is always clean. It’s important that objects aren’t intercepting with your subject’s head.

There are, however, creative ways you can use background elements to tell an entire story.

Background elements can intercept your subject in a way that manipulates your viewer’s perception of reality.

Rule 6: Blur the Background of Your Portraits

Blurring the background of your portrait to create a shallow depth of field is a great way to isolate your subject from the environment.