If there’s one thing I’ve discovered about photography, it’s that all the “rules” that are derived through conventional wisdom are largely guidelines to playing it safe. “Do this / Don’t do that – and you will probably get a nice picture.”
Well, if “nice” is all you’re after, so be it. But experience has taught me that so often the best pictures I’ve taken, have come as a result of disobeying the rules, or sometimes even going expressly against them. Such as ignoring the instinct to not shoot in inclement weather, or shooting into the sun.
Playing it safe, might get you lots of “nice” pictures – but taking risks, while probably resulting in a lower overall success rate, will get you the occasional “wow” shot. And weirdly, the more often you take those risks, the greater your success rate in achieving those “wow” moments becomes, until you find yourself on a higher playing field, perched to take the risks needed to leap to the next level.
It’s a great lesson for life.