*ENTRY* Thread DSS #80 (Break the rules) CLOSED

sherstonesherstone Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 2,356 Major grins
edited July 12, 2011 in The Dgrin Challenges
Dgrin Sharp Shooters Challenge #80

Welcome to Round #80 of the Dgrin Sharp Shooters Challenges. This challenge is open to any Dgrin member.
It will run from Monday, June 27th, 9:00pm PST time (GMT -7) on through Monday, July 11th, 9:00pm PST time (GMT -7). NOTE: the time change once again.

The topic ready for your interpretation: Break the rules
This does not mean you can break the posted DSS rules found linked below. It does mean you can break whatever photography rule you want, or show us an image where you or your subject breaks a well known rule.

There are no editing restrictions in this round

Your Judge:
1 round 72 Hour Public Vote.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Your entry is to be submitted directly into a SmugMug gallery. It's pretty simple, just go to the gallery link below, and follow the upload instructions at the top of the page: Remember, the basics stay the same: 1 entry per person, and the photo must be fresh, taken during this contest period. Do not use a minimal save method (such as "save for web"), and your EXIF will be embedded in your image, no worries!

To avoid disqualification, read, in full, the Dgrin Sharp Shooters Challenge Rules.
Sean
«13

Comments

  • tsk1979tsk1979 Registered Users Posts: 937 Major grins
    edited June 28, 2011
    This is the tricky one. I know of only one well known rule which can be "broken" per se, that is rule of thirds.
    About others such as golden spiral, how do you break the rule. Similarly for leading lines.
    If there are no leading lines or no spirals in your image, is the rule broken?
    Smugmug: http://tanveer.smugmug.com
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  • sherstonesherstone Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 2,356 Major grins
    edited June 28, 2011
    tsk1979 wrote: »
    This is the tricky one. I know of only one well known rule which can be "broken" per se, that is rule of thirds.
    About others such as golden spiral, how do you break the rule. Similarly for leading lines.
    If there are no leading lines or no spirals in your image, is the rule broken?

    In the end that is for you to decide. Of course if you can communicate the broken rule without using a title that explains it then you are "golden". mwink.gif
    Sean
  • richterslrichtersl Registered Users Posts: 3,322 Major grins
    edited June 28, 2011
    Interesting challenge....:skippy

    Should be a lot of fun!
    Linda

    http://lrichters.smugmug.com
  • CHANDLERJACHANDLERJA Registered Users Posts: 400 Major grins
    edited June 28, 2011
    I like it! :)
    Spent so much time worrying about the rules the last two weeks since I knew I couldn't fix it!
    Nice to just shoot again!!

    Thanks!
    Jeromy
    http://snaptx.smugmug.com/
    Light is everything in life and photography.
  • travelwaystravelways Registered Users Posts: 7,854 Major grins
    edited June 28, 2011
    Hey, for me this is easy - I break them all the time rolleyes1.gif

    But yes, Jeromy is right :)
    Spent so much time worrying about the rules the last two weeks since I knew I couldn't fix it!
    Nice to just shoot again!!

    Thank you Sean for this - fantastic idea for a challenge!!! This will make us go and re-read the rules, so we know
    how to break them mwink.gif

    Here I found some possible inspiration:

    78-photography-rules

    also this:

    Break the ‘Rules’ of Photography and Take Stunning Images

    Happy shooting everybody! :D

    PS: This will really help us when it comes to judging too mwink.gif
    Tatiana - Seeing the world through my camera
    TravelwaysPhotos.com ...... Facebook
    VegasGreatAttractions.com
    Travelways.com
  • dlscott56dlscott56 Registered Users Posts: 1,324 Major grins
    edited June 28, 2011
    photo-funtasia wrote: »
    Hey, for me this is easy - I break them all the time rolleyes1.gif

    But yes, Jeromy is right :)



    Thank you Sean for this - fantastic idea for a challenge!!! This will make us go and re-read the rules, so we know
    how to break them mwink.gif

    Here I found some possible inspiration:

    78-photography-rules

    also this:

    Break the ‘Rules’ of Photography and Take Stunning Images

    Happy shooting everybody! :D

    PS: This will really help us when it comes to judging too mwink.gif

    Love the 78 rulesrolleyes1.gif. If ONLY someone had told me about rule #15 years ago. It would have saved me so much trouble!
    Dave

    My Photos
    My Facebook

  • travelwaystravelways Registered Users Posts: 7,854 Major grins
    edited June 28, 2011
    dlscott56 wrote: »
    Love the 78 rulesrolleyes1.gif. If ONLY someone had told me about rule #15 years ago. It would have saved me so much trouble!

    Happy to be helpful rolleyes1.gif
    Tatiana - Seeing the world through my camera
    TravelwaysPhotos.com ...... Facebook
    VegasGreatAttractions.com
    Travelways.com
  • Molotov EverythingMolotov Everything Registered Users Posts: 211 Major grins
    edited June 28, 2011
    Great now I have Breaking the Law by Judas Priest stuck in my head for about the past hour.
    http://www.quickdrawphoto.com
  • konomaniackonomaniac Registered Users Posts: 335 Major grins
    edited June 28, 2011
    dlscott56 wrote: »
    Love the 78 rulesrolleyes1.gif. If ONLY someone had told me about rule #15 years ago. It would have saved me so much trouble!

    #44 - still not used to that little flash on top of the camera.
    --- Kono ---
    Pentax K-x and assorted lenses
  • JennJenn Registered Users Posts: 1,009 Major grins
    edited June 28, 2011
    photo-funtasia wrote: »
    Hey, for me this is easy - I break them all the time rolleyes1.gif

    mwink.gif

    I never really knew the rules to begin with!! hmmm I need to study so I know if I'm breaking the rules ... headscratch.gif
    Jenn (from Oklahoma)
    Panasonic Lumix 10x DMC-TZ3 :photo
    Leica Mega O.I.S./28mm WIDE :smile6
  • red_zonered_zone Registered Users Posts: 533 Major grins
    edited June 28, 2011
    Of the 78 rules, I think it'd be fun to go break rule #58.... again.
    ________________________________________________
    Jake
  • greatlifephotosgreatlifephotos Registered Users Posts: 9 Beginner grinner
    edited June 28, 2011
    The last challenge really forced me to think about the captures that come out of my camera in a very different way, but I too agree with Jeromy...
    Spent so much time worrying about the rules the last two weeks since I knew I couldn't fix it!
    Nice to just shoot again!!
    The new theme could really produce some interesting subjects. I should have logged in at a different time, I need to get some work done, but now my brain is bouncing all over the place with new photo ideas!
  • dniednie Users Awaiting Email Confirmation Posts: 1,351 Major grins
    edited June 29, 2011
    Molotov Everything wrote: »
    Great now I have Breaking the Law by Judas Priest stuck in my head for about the past hour.

    Thanks... Now I do.
    Donna

    My SmugMug
  • SeascapeSSeascapeS Registered Users Posts: 814 Major grins
    edited June 29, 2011
    Those 78 Rules are hilarious! "When photographing a bird, make sure the bird is in the shot".
    SandiZ
    If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn't need to lug around a camera. ~Lewis Hine
    http://sandizphotos-seascapes.smugmug.com/
  • jwearjwear Registered Users Posts: 8,013 Major grins
    edited June 29, 2011
    78 rules headscratch.gif come on, I have broken 103 and have the PM's and emails to prove it and that is just in the challenges mwink.gif
    Jeff W

    “PHOTOGRAPHY IS THE ‘JAZZ’ FOR THE EYES…”

    http://jwear.smugmug.com/
  • sweetharmonysweetharmony Registered Users Posts: 405 Major grins
    edited June 29, 2011
    oooooh, the 78 rules is a hoot!
    Leah

    My Smugmug Photos
  • torrbraetorrbrae Registered Users Posts: 203 Major grins
    edited June 30, 2011
    Here I found some possible inspiration:

    78-photography-rules
    Thanks photo-funtasia for these 78 rules - hilarious, and now I know the rules that I have to break! At least I now have some ideas for the challenge.
  • lizzard_nyclizzard_nyc Registered Users Posts: 4,056 Major grins
    edited June 30, 2011
    Molotov Everything wrote: »
    Great now I have Breaking the Law by Judas Priest stuck in my head for about the past hour.


    Ha! me too. It was the first thing that came to mind when I read the challenge, kind of disconcerting that it keeps looping through my mind.

    On another note, I now have a strong urge to spell things with an I before E even after C while at work--I know, I'm bad.
    Liz A.
    _________
  • ZerolightphotosZerolightphotos Registered Users Posts: 8 Beginner grinner
    edited June 30, 2011
    I know that are supposed to be rules to taking a photo. I guess i need to study up on them. :)

    http://zerolight.smugmug.com
  • anniemaxanniemax Registered Users Posts: 11 Big grins
    edited June 30, 2011
    The 78 rules are funny - I like 'don't photograph clouds if they aren't there.' Thanks!
  • sapphire73sapphire73 Registered Users, Super Moderators Posts: 1,970 moderator
    edited July 1, 2011
    photo-funtasia wrote: »
    Thank you Sean for this - fantastic idea for a challenge!!! This will make us go and re-read the rules, so we know how to break them mwink.gif

    Here I found some possible inspiration:

    78-photography-rules

    also this:

    Break the ‘Rules’ of Photography and Take Stunning Images

    Happy shooting everybody! :D

    PS: This will really help us when it comes to judging too mwink.gif

    Some additional lists that may be helpful:

    Breaking the Rules of Photography

    Breaking Digital Photography Composition Rules

    10 Photography Rules and Ways to Break Them These are from Freeman Patterson's “Photography and the Art of Seeing” (1979).

    What I got from looking over these lists is:

    a) It is easier to break the rules effectively if you know them (and why they are effective guidelines).
    b) There are times when a photograph is stronger because one ignores one or more of these rules.
    c) It will be relatively easy to break one or more rules purposefully, but perhaps harder to break them to good advantage.
    d) There is something freeing about deliberately breaking a rule and seeing what you get.

    That's it for my ramblings today. Took some Kenyan guests to DC yesterday and shot some photos at high noon and purposefully broke some other rules (rule of thirds, keep horizons straight, etc.) but have yet to see how they worked out. It was refreshing though to see the monuments through their eyes and also be trying to break certain rules!

    Gretchen

    My SmugMug Galleries

  • sweetharmonysweetharmony Registered Users Posts: 405 Major grins
    edited July 1, 2011
    Gretchen, your pointer "c" is the first thing that came to my mind when I learned what this challenge is........I've been mulling and mulling.......and I agree with your pointers a-d completely.
    Leah

    My Smugmug Photos
  • travelwaystravelways Registered Users Posts: 7,854 Major grins
    edited July 1, 2011
    sapphire73 wrote: »
    ...

    c) It will be relatively easy to break one or more rules purposefully, but perhaps harder to break them to good advantage.
    ...

    Of course, this is the only reason why somebody would break the rules - supposing they do this consciously... rolleyes1.gif
    Tatiana - Seeing the world through my camera
    TravelwaysPhotos.com ...... Facebook
    VegasGreatAttractions.com
    Travelways.com
  • lkbartlkbart Registered Users Posts: 1,912 Major grins
    edited July 2, 2011
    15524779-Ti.gif & agree that breaking a rule to the advantage of the shot is the challenge.

    The 78 rules is hilarious! The other links are good also - thanks Tatiana & Gretchen!
    ~Lillian~
    A photograph is an artistic expression of life, captured one moment at a time . . .
    http://bartlettphotoart.smugmug.com/
  • janissimajanissima Registered Users Posts: 3 Beginner grinner
    edited July 2, 2011
    Knowing the rules
    Jenn wrote: »
    I never really knew the rules to begin with!! hmmm I need to study so I know if I'm breaking the rules ... headscratch.gif

    Yeah, I had to read them too. I glad I didn't know the rules, some of my best photos would never have been born. ;~)
  • ZerolightphotosZerolightphotos Registered Users Posts: 8 Beginner grinner
    edited July 3, 2011
    I posted my shot do't know if i broke any rules or not. Hopes everyone has a great day. :)

    http://zerolight.smugmug.com
  • ghinsonghinson Registered Users Posts: 933 Major grins
    edited July 4, 2011
    Looking at some of the potential shots in the forum, it occurs to me that if the photo is a good photo, fun or thought-provoking to look at, then it is hard to tell it broke a rule. I find myself guessing which rule the photographer is thinking about. If there is a rule that is broken on purpose, and you can easily tell, it's usually a crummy photo. I guess this is how these ideas or compensation and exposure became "rules."
    uosuıɥ ƃǝɹƃ
    ackdoc.com
  • travelwaystravelways Registered Users Posts: 7,854 Major grins
    edited July 4, 2011
    ghinson wrote: »
    Looking at some of the potential shots in the forum, it occurs to me that if the photo is a good photo, fun or thought-provoking to look at, then it is hard to tell it broke a rule. I find myself guessing which rule the photographer is thinking about. If there is a rule that is broken on purpose, and you can easily tell, it's usually a crummy photo. I guess this is how these ideas or compensation and exposure became "rules."

    My understanding is that the "rules" in photography are the same as in design or fine arts, and they are based on
    statistics (or just good understanding) on how the human eye perceive an image (colors, lines, shapes, etc.).
    They are general "rules" or best: "guidelines". When braking them, the image will be "different", or intriguing...,
    and it will stand out, expressing a particular feeling that the artist wanted to emphasize, in a different manner than with just using classic methods.

    This is how "modern art" has been developed vs. classic art - right?

    By braking rules, the artist will still be using some "good sense" guides related to how the human eye perceives images,
    but in a more "expressive" way - his own way.

    I personally don't find images like these to be "crummy"

    http://www.digital-photography-school.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/angle.jpg

    http://www.digital-photography-school.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/symmetry.jpg

    http://www.digital-photography-school.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/active-space.jpg

    http://digital-photography-school.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/dead-space.jpg

    http://digital-photography-school.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/unfocused.jpg

    http://digital-photography-school.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/high-iso-grain.jpg

    http://digital-photography-school.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/camera-movement.jpg

    Do you?

    PS: the question is: Why are they not?
    Tatiana - Seeing the world through my camera
    TravelwaysPhotos.com ...... Facebook
    VegasGreatAttractions.com
    Travelways.com
  • billseyebillseye Registered Users Posts: 847 Major grins
    edited July 4, 2011
    photo-funtasia wrote: »
    PS: the question is: Why are they not?

    A fun question. Thanks for the links and the thought-provoking context.

    The images to which you linked above are certainly not "crummy." And as the original post shows, they are each breaking a traditional rule of photography. And in each case, where A rule is broken, others are followed.

    In music the rules are collectively studied and referred to as "theory." No one created the rules. They were developed as the body of theory through analysis of what masters of any musical era actually did. In some cases the rules of a classic genre engender the way masters broke the rules of previous eras.

    As styles of most art evolve, so do the rules. And with each new iteration of style, comes controversy and adaptation of the consumers' taste and preferences. In some cases new styles eclipse the old. In others, new styles evolve on parallel tracks with older styles.

    In photography, HDR is an example. The rules of HDR are developing out of tradition. Is it a rule to apply HDR technique for expanded "dynamic range" of light with a photo-like result or to use it for surrealistic representations of reality? Is it pleasant to look at? Does it matter?

    So to the question at hand, regarding Greg's comment about it being easy to tell that a rule is broken... I'd modify it to say that if the rule is broken for only the sake of breaking the rule, the result may be a "crummy" photo. If the rule is broken to enhance the meaning or intent of the photo (and if the rule-breaking succeeds as the photographer intended) the success of the image will eclipse the viewer's awareness that a rule was purposefully broken and cause the impact of the image to rise above recognition of violated stylistic convention. Perhaps what Greg was getting at is that if the first thing the viewer notices is a broken rule, the intent of the photo was lost and it becomes no more than a crummy photo.

    As an aside to Sean... thanks for this challenge. It's really created some interesting dialog on the forum AND has "challenged" me to think in a different way about several "rules" is regularly apply to my images.
    Bill Banning

    Check out billseye photos on SmugMug
  • ghinsonghinson Registered Users Posts: 933 Major grins
    edited July 4, 2011
    billseye wrote: »
    So to the question at hand, regarding Greg's comment about it being easy to tell that a rule is broken... I'd modify it to say that if the rule is broken for only the sake of breaking the rule, the result may be a "crummy" photo. If the rule is broken to enhance the meaning or intent of the photo (and if the rule-breaking succeeds as the photographer intended) the success of the image will eclipse the viewer's awareness that a rule was purposefully broken and cause the impact of the image to rise above recognition of violated stylistic convention. Perhaps what Greg was getting at is that if the first thing the viewer notices is a broken rule, the intent of the photo was lost and it becomes no more than a crummy photo.

    What I truly meant was that the photos that I have attempted for this challenge which have been, as above, taken only for the sake of breaking an obvious rule, are crummy.

    When I look through some of my old galleries, I see numerous photos that break the usual rules. But it's always happened in some organic way that I cannot explain. Sometimes using a composition or exposure that is non-traditional just feels right. But getting there on purpose for this challenge has been, um, challenging.

    And THAT is why I'm here.
    uosuıɥ ƃǝɹƃ
    ackdoc.com
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