Mad Dogs and Englishmen…

Everyone comes to photography via different paths. Some start as a hobby, are self taught via books and magazines…others study at school or college. Either way, at some point we all come across the ‘rules of photography’.

These vary, depending on who you talk to, but general ones include using the rule of thirds (don’t have your subject dead centre in the frame, place it in 1/3 of the frame..same goes for horizon lines too). Fill the frame. Use leading lines / diagonals. Use texture and natural framing. There are also a few rules that aren’t so much rules, as guidelines…such as never shoot into the sun / light source, or never shoot at midday.

Whilst all of these are fairly good advice, anyone who has spent a while *really* making images knows that you soon forget all of them. Rules are made to be broken, never more so than in the photographic world. I love, for example, shooting into the light and placing my subject in the middle of the frame. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. Experimenting is the key.

With that in mind, here are a few images shot today, from around midday till 1pm…right in the hot spot that is supposed to offer little in the way of lighting for the photography.
It’s true that the ‘golden hours’ just after dawn, and just before dusk offer stunning light, bright daylight has it’s own charms…get out there…mix it up!

End note: the title of this post comes from the Noel Coward song, “Mad Dogs and Englishmen Go Out In The Midday Sun.” Terribly British, and great fun. If you haven’t heard it, here’s a taster: