Myth No. 4 - The Rules of composition

Many insist that you should always stick to the main compositional rules - the rule of thirds, or the golden mean - and that the subject should never be placed in the centre of the frame. Well, these rules are sensible enough, but are meant to be broken - often a shot that breaks all the rules can be all the more striking for it.

Myth No. 3 - HCB and the Decisive Moment

Everyone knows Henri Cartier-Bresson was such a genius he always pressed the button at the decisive moment, right? Well, wrong, actually - he was at heart a photojournalist, and would work a scene to the max to get the shot he wanted - and he wasn't afraid to set shots up.

Myth No. 2 - You can't take landscape shots in the middle of the day

Who says you can't? Why, a lot of landscape photographers. Why not? Because the light's not interesting. So what is the result? Every shot is taken in the same light - now is THAT interesting?

Of course the light before, at and just after dawn and dusk is magical, and can produce terrific results. But any directional light can bring out the modelling of a landscape, and sometimes overhead sun with harsh shadows produces a terrific effect. And then there's bad weather - there's nothing quite like a stormy sky to add interest, and it really doesn't matter what time of day it is. But those who believe this myth miss out - I feel sorry for them.

Myth No. 1 - Equipment doesn't matter

We've all heard it - "it's not the camera, it's the guy behind the camera that counts" and "a better camera won't make you a better photographer". Also "You never hear painters discussing the effect of their brushes, why should we discuss cameras?" and the one about the non-enthusiasts whose only apparant praise for photographers is "You take such good pictures, you must have a good camera". Well, like all myths, they're founded on truth but aren't actually true in themselves. OK, it's certainly true that almost any film camera of today will produce technically better results than ever before, and the same is true within the digital world (for a comparison of the two, you'll have to wait for another Myth) - and it's also true that artistic vision is absolutely critical. HOWEVER, just stop for a moment to consider certain photographers and the equipment they used - and why. Ansel Adams (who will be the subject of a future myth all of his own) used a large format camera for a very good reason - it was the appropriate tool to translate his vision onto film. Same goes for Henri Cartier-Bresson (another future Myth) and his Leica, and Colin Prior and his Fuji panoramic - without the appropriate tool, none of them could have realised their pictures. So don't tell me the camera doesn't matter - it plainly does.