Fart for better photos

I take my best pictures when I FART first. FARTing helps us remember to make a strong, meaningful photo instead of just snapping away and winding up with a lot of boring, thoughtless snapshots. FART is a mnemonic for a creative process.

Ken Rockwell is not the best photographer in the world and some people really disagree with him on some aspects of photography but this little mnemonic is great photography advice for everyone. I love starting here rathe than “the rule of thirds” or whatever because all of those composition rules can be broken.

I thought of this post as I had seen that CJ Chilvers had written in support of the upcoming The Sweet Setup Photo course. Honestly, when they announced they were making photo course I was worried. The feel I usually get from tech journalists who write photo advice focus more on the tech side of photos (surprise). So they’ll really get into the “need” for a super fast lens, getting a tone of bokeh and finally some classic composition tips like “the rule of thirds” (all of which can be broken). But CJ Chilvers isn’t that type of photographer and he focuses on photos for the average person.

That’s what made me think of this post. It’s great for a complete beginner taking their first photo, but it’s also a useful reminder for a more seasoned hand who knows all the “composition rules”.