You would think that with the amount of cameras being used on a daily basis around the world that the answer to the question in the title would be a resounding yes, it's easy-peasy, lemon squeezy, as the saying goes. Everyday millions of people will be framing an image with their cell-phone cameras, or something a bit more specialist, and firing away to their heart's content. But of course, as with writing a novel, (and most people have one tucked away in their heads), that doesn't mean you will end up with a Booker Prize winner; or even get a publisher to look at it. Like most art forms, photography takes a bit of time and effort to get right. And above all, lots of practice! So if there are rules to follow, what are they? Well, here's a few that you will have heard other photographers talk about.
Rules need to be understood, but not all of them need to be practiced every time. However, the rule of thirds, for good composition, should be one rule that you would be well advised to always pay attention to. The way you position the various elements of your image can determine its strength (or weaknesses) as a print. Experience will tell you what works and what doesn't, but you would do well to look at lots of images taken by the top photographers and analyze what it is that makes them special. It will be as much about composition as it is content that gives them the overall wow factor for sure.
Then we have the F rules: the 'Sunny F16' rule; the 'Snowy/Sandy F22 rule; the F8 rule for overcast days, including the F11 for light overcast and F5.6 for heavy overcast days. All these rules can make your head spin, but they have been devised from the daily experiences of other photographers who have gone before us and passed their findings on so that we can get quick, simple, and convenient exposure results for similar situations when we are out and about.
The best rule/advice is to read up on the theory and get lots of practice. In other words read up and get out there and try some of the rules mentioned above and see if they work for you. There are plenty more rules to research, and once you understand them and know when to apply them you will be in a good position to know if breaking them will give you something closer to what you are looking for. There are plenty of tutorials on the Internet about the rules of photography, so look for them and enjoy!
Rules need to be understood, but not all of them need to be practiced every time. However, the rule of thirds, for good composition, should be one rule that you would be well advised to always pay attention to. The way you position the various elements of your image can determine its strength (or weaknesses) as a print. Experience will tell you what works and what doesn't, but you would do well to look at lots of images taken by the top photographers and analyze what it is that makes them special. It will be as much about composition as it is content that gives them the overall wow factor for sure.
Then we have the F rules: the 'Sunny F16' rule; the 'Snowy/Sandy F22 rule; the F8 rule for overcast days, including the F11 for light overcast and F5.6 for heavy overcast days. All these rules can make your head spin, but they have been devised from the daily experiences of other photographers who have gone before us and passed their findings on so that we can get quick, simple, and convenient exposure results for similar situations when we are out and about.
The best rule/advice is to read up on the theory and get lots of practice. In other words read up and get out there and try some of the rules mentioned above and see if they work for you. There are plenty more rules to research, and once you understand them and know when to apply them you will be in a good position to know if breaking them will give you something closer to what you are looking for. There are plenty of tutorials on the Internet about the rules of photography, so look for them and enjoy!