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Never, under any circumstances, read your camera’s manual! You simply must not get too familiar with your camera. That’s the only way to create truly creative and natural photos. Never let technology control you! YOU are the artist, not the camera. And no matter how the photo turns out—that was exactly the plan. If other photographers in your photo club don’t get it, that’s great. True artists can’t and shouldn’t be understood. Any knowledge about ISO, shutter speed, aperture, and depth of field is just technical interference that only harms the quality of your photos. So quickly forget all that. Better to set everything to automatic and just call the result “intentional” or, if in doubt, “creative art”!
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Keep as far away from your subject as possible. The main subject should never dominate the foreground. It would only get in the way. It’s important to include plenty of the surroundings in the shot. A truly great photo thrives on its little details. The more, the better. The actual subject should barely stand out. Don’t make it too easy for viewers to spot your subject. Puzzle-like images are simply more fun.
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Sharpness is completely overrated! Always keep your camera moving! Never brace yourself or use a beanbag or tripod. A photo must come from motion, because motion is life. So do everything you can to avoid holding the camera steady. Here’s a little secret tip: do a quick sprint beforehand to get your pulse racing.
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Avoid light whenever you can! Choose days and times with as little light as possible. Too much light might result in sharp photos. (See point 3) If you do end up with too much light, definitely increase the shutter speed to introduce some blur back into the photo. You should never be too picky about shutter speed anyway. It’s best to always err on the side of a little more.
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Avoid any kind of composition. The rule of thirds, the golden ratio, and the golden spiral are total nonsense. Some mathematicians made those up just to annoy us. Use the center! It’s best to always place everything right in the middle. Photos shouldn’t have any tension—that belongs in the electrical outlet. And forget about image harmony. Harmony is just for New Age enthusiasts and crackpots.
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Accurate colors are out of style. Mixed lighting is the way to go! Confuse your white balance. Always leave white balance on automatic and use a variety of light sources. The best combination is daylight, construction floodlights, fluorescent tubes, LEDs, and incandescent bulbs. That way, the auto white balance has plenty of options to choose from.
