Jul 30 2007
Breaking Rules
Rule One - Don’t suggest to a ruling monarch that they appear in ceremonial robes but lose the crown because “its too dressy”.
Annie Leibowitz forgot about this rule in her recent photo session with Queen Elizabeth II and suffered a curt rebuke and minor embarrassment. The crown stayed on.
Rule Two - If you do decide to concoct a story in the edit suite make sure that it does not embarrass any one really influential. Editing footage to invent a scene showing the Queen stomping off in a tantrum would qualify as an example of breaking this rule.
RDF - the company that made this gaffe saw $20million wiped off their share price in a few hours , following news that the BBC along with several other TV stations were canceling commissions. If RDF would pull a stunt like this in a piece about the Queen, what have they been getting away with in covering less influential subjects?
Rule Three - The rule 0f thirds states that if you place a tic-tac-toe grid over a photograph important elements should be placed on the intersections of those lines.
Annie Leibowitz breaks this rule as well, but with impunity. Only a pedant could fault the composition of this photograph.
The rule of thirds is often presented as the most basic principle of photographic composition, but with portraits at least, it is broken more often than it is followed. Why does this rule so often appear at the top of so many “guides to composition” lists?
One does get so pissed off once in a while.
the rule of thirds is easy to explain and easy to follow, that’s what makes it so popular.