Many of the so-called rules of composition should be considered as guidelines. They are based on recreating similarities in the make-up of many different images that many people have found to be esthetically-pleasing. These rules of composition or a design need not be taken as a hard and fast rule that must be observed.

Some renowned photographs violate all the rules of composition and are still excellent pictures. This doesn't mean that the rules are without value. They are time-proven, and provide great guidelines for photographers at any level. We use them all the time.

By religiously observing the principles of composition, they will become firmly cemented in your mind. Employing them will become second nature to you.

Once you have the rules of composition down pat, experiment and break a rule here or there when you feel the image will work better without it. That’s called individual style, and the creativity that stems from it produces some great images.

The point is that you will know when to break a rule of composition once you know what the rules are and how they work.

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