Last Updated on May 20, 2019 by Dahlia Ambrose

If you're around the photography industry for any length of time, you start to develop a sense of the necessary, the desirable and the outright horrible. This is the code we came up with in no particular order. Add your own below.

Image via Suliman Sallehi

1. Always carry a camera
2. It ain’t the camera, it’s the 12 inches behind it (Ansel Adams was right)
3. Glass before bodies
4. Learning before gear
5. Nikon, Canon, Leica, Sony – Nobody who matters cares
6. Don’t shoot for free
7. Unless it’s your grandmother – jeesh, don’t be so cheap
8. Don’t touch the model (seriously, don’t be that guy)
9. Sleep in? Lol
10. Shooting sunsets is a cliche
11. If you don’t like sunset photos, you’re probably already dead
12. Nobody cares that you only shoot prime
13. Buying gear won’t make you a better photographer
14. Except for an 85mm f1.4 – that is a sweet sweet lens
15. On a full frame, 20mm for landscapes, 35mm for street, 85mm for portrait, >120 for action.
16. Tips like that are a guideline, not a rule, so don’t lose your bananas about it
17. Photography competition judges are rarely your potential clients
18. Clients have very different tastes to photo competition judges
19. Clients have very different tastes to professional photographers
20. Get it right in camera
21. Nobody gets it right in camera for everything
22. When somebody tells you they always get it right in camera, look at their portfolio to see examples of photos that need post-production work
23. Post-production is part of the photographic process – you either leave it to factory settings on your camera, or you control it yourself
24. Go easy on Photoshop
25. Competition? Photojournalist? Don’t remove objects from your photos
26. Smoothing skin and making people skinny in Photoshop is a horrible reflection on society
27. Literally, no client will ever complain if you skillfully smooth their skin or make them skinnier
28. Converging verticals is a photography sin
29. Converging verticals look cool as hell
30. Regularly help other people learn
31. Getting angry at cheaper/free photographers is a waste of time
32. Figure out how to charge more, not less
33. Regular event photographers need to be fit – you should be too
34. When somebody asks for the unedited photos, the answer is no
35. If they insist, and you really cannot get out of it, then the price is 10x
36. University can teach you how to be an excellent photographer, but there are other ways too
37. University probably won’t teach you how to be a good business person
38. The second shooter gets paid regardless of whether you do
39. When somebody invites you to an event, then casually mentions that you should bring your camera, tell them you are busy that night
40. Learn how to shoot in manual
41. Know that many pros shoot in aperture priority
42. If you post it online, it WILL get stolen
43. Photo thieves were probably never going to be a paying client anyway – but chase the ones who might have been
44. It’s ok that your camera gear costs more than your car
45. Some photographers are all about the technical, some are all about the artistic. There is room for everyone
46. Every. Great. Photographer. In. History. Did. Post. Production.
47. Look after your camera, but just remember, it’s a tool, not a priceless ancient artefact – it’s gonna get wear and tear
48. Nobody knows where lens cloths disappear – carry lots
49. Try film photography – you will probably love it
50. Stop telling people you only shoot film – nobody cares
51. If you ever find yourself using the phrase “real photographers” then give yourself an uppercut
52. Everybody struggles to find their own style – it’s part of the journey
53. Find your own style
54. Own a Russian film camera once – you will love it
55. If spending $500 upsets you, don’t enter a camera store
56. If spending $5000 upsets you, consider moving to where there is no camera store
57. Learn to take criticism gracefully
58. Give criticism only when it’s asked for
59. 2 Minute noodles can be skillfully prepared when you need to save for the holy trinity of lenses
60. Read more
61. Practice even more
62. People don’t care why you couldn’t get the shot – they simply move on
63. Want to shoot a photo you saw? Add your own twist – copying is boring
64. Get closer
65. Get closer
66. Get closer
67. If you know who made those previous three rules, you’re probably not a beginner anymore
68. You will be somewhat unhappy with your shots from 3 years ago
69. Photographing models to meet women is kind of creepy – again, don’t be that guy
70. If you are standing on public property, you are almost certainly allowed to photograph anything you like – people, buildings, whatever
71. Don’t be a douchebag about that
72. Ask before photographing kids
73. Preferably ask before photographing adults
74. Smile
75. Use your feet to zoom in
76. There are no rules for photography, but there are laws for physics
77. The only person who has to be satisfied with your photography is ultimately you

Got any more rules we should have covered? Add your own in the comments!

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