Author Topic: "Breaking the Rules," Weekly Photography Assignment for 16 - 22 August 2010  (Read 2270 times)

keithsnell

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I had a different assignment topic in mind for this week, but decided to change topics at the last minute because I didn't want to break the wonderful creative streak you are all on.  You all amazed and inspired me this last week during the "Detail" assignment with your wonderful creations.  I'd like to encourage that creativeness, and so this week's assignment is "Breaking the rules."  We've covered a lot of "rules" or guidelines in the past two years with our assignment topics; however, those rules are just general guidelines that work in most common situations.  Sometimes in order to be truly creative, we have to break the rules. 

For this assignment it doesn't matter what "rule" you choose to break.  Just review our past assignment topics, pick one of the general rules we have talked about, and then create a unique photograph by "breaking" the rules.  Have fun!  When you upload the image to the gallery, please tell us what rule you broke, and why you decided to deviate from common wisdom to achieve your creative vision.

Please upload your images to the "Breaking the Rules" album in the Weekly Assignment category of the Gallery no-later-than midnight Mountain Time (GMT -07:00) on Sunday, 22 August 2010.

I'll look forward to seeing your images.

Keith

keithsnell

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Just glancing back through some of our past assignments, here are some ideas for "breaking the rules":

Isolation:  Instead of isolating your subject, "hide" it in the composition or background (a tiger peaking through the tall grass, etc)

Color:  Compose an image where the color is inconsistent with the subject (a tough looking cowboy wearing a pink hat)

Balance:  Produce an image that is "out of balance" where elements on one side of the image have much more "weight" than the remainder of the image.  This "unbalanced" feel can be used to enhance the user's feeling of "unease" about a particular subject.

In the balance assignment we also talked about the "rule of thirds" so break the rule and try placing your primary subject someplace other than the intersection of thirds.

Soft Light:  Instead use "hard light" to produce a "grittier" image or an image without depth

Linear Perspective:  Produce an image where the depth cues are reversed, with the smaller objects in the foreground, and the larger objects in the distance.  Come on, see if you can do it!

Atmospheric Perspective:  Same thing.  Produce an image where the foreground is in the atmospheric haze and the distant objects are sharply defined

Texture:  Use completely flat lighting to remove shadows and "texture" from an object that the viewer would expect to have texture

Warm Light:  Instead, use "cold" light to produce an unwelcome or "cold" feeling for the image.

Distraction Free:  Produce an image with "distractions" (but have an artistic purpose for including them)

Harmonious Colors:  Produce an image with "discordant" colors that will jar the viewers sensibilities.

Patterns:  "Break" a pattern

Eyes:  Create an image where your subjects eyes are obscured (in shadow perhaps) so that the viewer cannot "connect" with the subject

High Contrast:  Instead of trying to control the contrast, let the highlights blow, or shadows go dark in order to produce a more stark feeling for the image

Simplicity:  Complexity

Depth:  Instead, try to produce and image with NO depth cues.  Come on, see if you can do it.  I dare you!

Wide and close:  Small and distant?

Bokeh:  Produce an image with horrible, awful looking bokeh.  Double vision type bokeh that makes the viewer cross eyed!  If you try hard enough I'm sure you can find a lens and aperture combination that produces horrible bokeh.  (But have an artistic reason for doing it!)

Sense of Place:  Include objects in the scene that break the continuity or look jarringly out of place.  Again, have an artistic reason and "message" to convey.

Fill Flash:  Instead of trying to make it look natural, strive for an unnatural look, over-flashed or with harsh, unpleasant shadows.  And your artistic reason is?

Pastels:  Include a saturated fluorescent color in a pastel scene.

Framed:  Hmmm.  That's a tough one.  Can someone produce the opposite of a "framed" image?

Leading Light:  Instead of leading to your subject with light, use shadows to hide your subject.

Telling a Story:  Hmmm, another hard one.  Try composing an image that DOESN'T tell a story. :-)

Clarity:  Obscurity

Specular Highlights:  Instead of "letting them go" try protecting the specular highlights and letting the rest of the image go dark

Leading lines:  Lead away from your subject

Rhythms:  Break the rhythm

Contrast:  Instead of trying to control and minimize the contrast, enhance the contrast to produce a 2-dimensional image without depth cues, or a "harsh" image with no texture or detail

Separation:  Try producing an image with NO separation between the subject and it's environment.  Use flat consistent light, extreme depth of field, no shadow differentiation, etc. to blend your subject into the scene.

Detail:  Break one of the rules by inducing motion blur, etc.

Composition rules:  Split the image in half with the horizon line, place your subject in the center, or otherwise violate one of the "rules" of composition you may have read about.

These are just some ideas.  I'm sure you can come up with more, so have fun!

Keith
« Last Edit: August 17, 2010, 04:19:47 PM by keithsnell »

marilyn

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Thanks for providing such a focused list of rules to break, Keith.  It is going to save me a lot of time because I was trying to figure out how to go back to all of the assignments and create such a list for myself (and time is running out!!  AARGHHHHHHH!)

But now that we're on that subject, can you explain how to find the actual text/explanation of the assignments from the past?  I know it has to be obvious but for some reason, all I can find are the galleries for each with all of the images submitted (which is great) but I was looking also for the assignment.  I'm working on course syllabi for the new semester that starts Monday so my mind is really into assignments!!  Thanks for your help.....

keithsnell

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But now that we're on that subject, can you explain how to find the actual text/explanation of the assignments from the past?  I know it has to be obvious but for some reason, all I can find are the galleries for each with all of the images submitted (which is great) but I was looking also for the assignment.  I'm working on course syllabi for the new semester that starts Monday so my mind is really into assignments!!  Thanks for your help.....

Hi Marilyn, the best way to find the old assignment descriptions is to go to the Weekly Assignments board in the Forum (It's under Mentoring and Learning), or follow this link :-)  : http://community.spiritofphotography.com/index.php?board=26.0

Hope this helps!

Keith