Five rules of photography that you should know and feel free to break any time you get the chance.

Sunny f/16 Rule - The most basic and time tested rule of photography. On a bright sunny day, your exposure will be f/16, at the shutter speed closest to your ISO. For example, at noon on a clear day with an ISO of 200, your exposure will be f/16 @ a 200th. For those of us using old manual cameras, a 250th is probably as close as you’ll get.

Rule Of Thirds - The cardinal law of composition. Also the most overused law of composition. An image can be divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines. Aligning elements of the photograph along these lines can create a more dynamic composition.

Depth of Field - The single best way to isolate a subject is with depth of field. Again, this is also one of the most overused compositional elements. By keeping the subject in focus the background soft, the viewer has no choice but to look at the subject as the center of attention.

Don’t Split The Horizon - Never place the horizon in the center of the image. It creates a barrier between the two halves and the viewer will get stuck on it. Cutting the image in half with the horizon is the quickest way to ruin any photograph.

f/8 And Be There - The old photojournalist’s credo. If you’re not there, you’re not getting the shot. Still my favorite rule.

Top Five Tips For Better Portraits:

1. Prep The Subject - Prepare your subject. Have a coffee together, talk about what you want to accomplish. Expose the subject to the equipment you’ll be using. Load film, load memory, heat up the flash unit, clean lenses, etc. Many people are intimidated by all the equipment involved, give them a chance to absorb it before they are in front of it.

2. Lie To Your Subject - The first roll of film when shooting a portrait will almost never produce anything worth looking at. Your subject needs some time to feel at ease in front of the camera. Lie to your subject and burn through 30 frames with no film (or memory) in the camera. When they start to loosen up, bring out the film.

3. Intimidate Your Subject - Move in way to close your subject, just to the edge of that personal space bubble that we all have. Then slowly move back, frame by frame. The sitter will gradually become more at ease as you move away and that invisible barrier between subject and photographer will start to fade.

4. Fill The Frame - Fill the frame with relevant information. There is nothing worse than a loosely shot portrait with too much clutter in the background. If the environment plays an important role in the photograph be selective in what you include. The focus should always be the subject.

5. Less Is More - When it comes to portraits, less is almost always more. Less styling, less environment, less equipment, less distractions. It is the sitter that we are after, focus on the subject, not the ancillary details.

1. Put your cameras away and go buy yourself an art history book.
Study the history of art as a whole, not just photography. Don’t even think about picking up a camera until you’ve read it cover to cover.

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