Take your Photo, but Break with Conventions!

There are many people out there that believe in very hard fast rules when it comes to taking a picture and feel that if those rules are not followed, that their images will not be considered “GOOD”. Well, let me totally destroy that notion in one phrase.

“Don’t Take that Photo, Yet!”

All of the greatest photos ever done BROKE with convention. My suggestion is the following: Whenever you are about to press the shutter to take a photo, STOP! Ask yourself the following questions. Is what I am about to capture something that is different in approach to what I have seen before?  Is it really what I am feeling at the moment or am I more worried about the technique than the substance? Could I not approach this subject from a totally different perspective? Perhaps imagine that you are an ant with a camera or a giant towering over the subject matter. Maybe the subject you are focusing on should take a secondary role in the image allowing the banal to take precedent?  Perhaps this would add an interesting counterpoint to your theme.

If you are shooting a beautiful landscape, try adding an element that enhances the message with a garbage bag in the foreground to add a message to your statement. You could add some humor by bringing a plastic picnic table and chairs with plastic flowers as the foreground with the perfectly gorgeous backdrop of mountains, streams and towering trees… LOL! Counterpoint is a very powerful tool in any mode of expression. Always attempt to observe your intent when you are about to commit to the pressing of “The Shutter”. It is a very important decision that may live on after you have left this dimension. So the next time you take a photo, remember that it is a reflection of who you are and how you view the world around you.