Why should you?
In the world of photography there is a lot of advice to take. Most of it starts with, "You should always..." or "You should never...":
"You should always use a tripod."
"You should never shoot into the sun."
Please start disregarding this advice; it will free your mind immeasurably. There is usually a grain of truth behind the maxims but that has often been lost in time.
Using a tripod does help you compose more thoughtfully, is an aid to eliminating camera shake and leaves you to shoot hands-free. But if you don't need any of those then you might not need a tripod.
Shooting into the sun is discouraged for photographers who don't know how to compensate for the exposure error the camera will make. But if you know what to do then you can shoot wherever you like.
Put a marker down today. Every time you hear someone (including yourself) saying you "should" or "shouldn't" do something, ask "Why?" at least 3 times until you get to the underlying grain of truth which you can then either accept or discard. Compare these two conversations:
First conversation
"You should use a wide angle lens for street photography."
"Why?"
"Because that's what everybody does."
"Why does everybody do that?"
"Because that's the advice."
"Why is that the advice?"
“…I don't know."
Second conversation
"You should use a wide angle lens for street photography."
"Why?"
"Because you will want to shoot close up to the action for a heightened sense of immediacy and a long lens won't focus close enough."
"Why will I want a heightened sense of immediacy?"
"Because that's how you get dramatic street photography."
.... at this point you can agree or disagree, but at least you understand one reason for using a wide angle lens.
What "should" advice have you had, photography or otherwise? Write a few examples from your past down and keep an ear out for any that pop up in the future. Once you are aware of them you can start to make your own decisions based on better information.
Learn photography the right way
A Year With My Camera is my online beginner’s photography course. It explains the why behind every should. It’s free by email. Join now and get started today:
