SANTINO’S NUMBER ONE RULE OF PHOTOGRAPHY

I occasionally teach basic photography to newer photographers. I always start off with my primary rule of photography. I call it THE TWO SECOND RULE.

The difference between bad photography and decent photography is just two seconds. Bad photographers enter a scene, pull out their cameras and immediately start shooting. If you want to improve your skills, you have to take a step back. A good photographer stops and assesses the scene before they ever press the shutter.

What is your subject? What are you trying to say about that subject? Even if you’re doing something basic like a family photo shoot. How is the family standing? Are they lined up and on a flat angle? Can you pose them in a way that makes them feel like a close family and not a random assemblage of human beings? What is your lighting like? Are they backlit? If they are, can you find shade to diffuse harsh lighting? Is there a better background for the shot than the one you’re currently using? A bad photographer doesn’t consider these questions. He/ she just takes 200 images and hopes a couple of them look good.

Don’t get me wrong, coverage is a good thing. You never know when one person is going to blink or make a weird face. But your good shots shouldn’t be achieved with a wish a prayer.

Shoot with purpose. Take your time. Control your shoot, don’t let the shoot control you.

A bad photographer gets great shots with luck.

A good photographer gets great shots because he saw the shots before he took them.

A great photographer gets great images because he saw the shot he wanted in his head and knew how to make that shot happen using the tools in his bag.

But great photographers don’t use the Two Second Rule. They use the Twenty Minute Rule.

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