--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are no rules for good photographs…" description: "\"There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.\" — Ansel Adams" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f0/ansel-adams-2687_photography_there-are-no-rules-for-good-photographs_1250944.jpg" --- # There are no rules for good photographs, there are only… ![“There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.” quote by Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f0/ansel-adams-2687_photography_there-are-no-rules-for-good-photographs_1250944.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f0/ansel-adams-2687_photography_there-are-no-rules-for-good-photographs_1250944.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f0/ansel-adams-2687_photography_there-are-no-rules-for-good-photographs_1250944.jpg) > “There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.” [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A good photograph is judged by its quality, not by any prescribed rules. **In simple terms:** Quality matters, not rules. Key Takeaway Focus on creating good images. Themes photography creativity quality Mood reflective inspirational Type descriptive philosophical When to use this quote - portrait sessions - landscape shoots - exhibition curation Key Concepts aesthetic judgment subjectivity Questions to Reflect On - How do you decide what makes a photo good? - Can you create without guidelines? A Different Perspective Rules can stifle experimentation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Photographs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photographs/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) ## Related quotes > [ If I’d only known which \[photographs\] would be very good and liked, I wouldn’t have had to do all the thousands of others. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-leiter/if-i-d-only-known-which-photographs-would-be-very-good-and-liked-i/) [Saul Leiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-leiter/) > [I did like Robert Vavra's book not only for its so very good photographs but for the text as well. He's no ordinary fellow,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/i-did-like-robert-vavra-s-book-not-only-for-its-so-very-good/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [Never stop looking, no matter where you are, everywhere there are good photographs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-wolfe/never-stop-looking-no-matter-where-you-are-everywhere-there-are-good/) [Art Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-wolfe/) > [So many people are diverted to doing what people want photographed - fashion models, buildings, mountains - they get to thinking those photographs are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rondal-partridge/so-many-people-are-diverted-to-doing-what-people-want-photographed/) [Rondal Partridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rondal-partridge/) > [A good print is really essential. I want to take strong documentary photographs that are as good technically as any of the best technical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/a-good-print-is-really-essential-i-want-to-take-strong-documentary/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [Everyone wants to look good in photographs, even us trolls who tell jokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-benson/everyone-wants-to-look-good-in-photographs-even-us-trolls-who-tell/) [Doug Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-benson/) > [Good photographs aren't just complex. They are enigmatic. Images are beguiling. And the way they play into our psychology, into our visual cortex, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-franklin/good-photographs-aren-t-just-complex-they-are-enigmatic-images-are/) [Stuart Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-franklin/) > [To make good photographs, to express something, to contribute something to the world he lives in, and to contribute something to the art of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-steichen/to-make-good-photographs-to-express-something-to-contribute-something/) [Edward Steichen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-steichen/) > [I agree that all good photographs are documents, but I also know that all documents are certainly not good photographs. 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I hope I have made some good photographs, but what I really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-capa/i-am-not-an-artist-and-i-never-intended-to-be-one-i-hope-i-have-made/) [Cornell Capa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-capa/) > [It's good to go and get photographs taken with people who come out and support you. I don't mind that, having a chat and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-frampton/it-s-good-to-go-and-get-photographs-taken-with-people-who-come-out/) [Carl Frampton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-frampton/) > [“Knowing the right timings, good photographs. Learning from bad timings, better photographs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kowtham-kumar-k/knowing-the-right-timings-good-photographs-learning-from-bad-timings/) [Kowtham Kumar K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kowtham-kumar-k/) > [I touch up photos so people look as good in their photographs as they did in real life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-kelby/i-touch-up-photos-so-people-look-as-good-in-their-photographs-as-they/) [Scott Kelby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-kelby/) ## More by Ansel Adams > [I know the importance of highly trained awareness of the “moment” and the immediate and intuitive response of the photographer. It should be obvious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/i-know-the-importance-of-highly-trained-awareness-of-the-moment-and/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [It is easy to take a photograph, but it is harder to make a masterpiece in photography than in any other art medium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/it-is-easy-to-take-a-photograph-but-it-is-harder-to-make-a/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [Black and white photography is truly quite a 'departure from reality', and the transition from one aspect of visual magic to another was not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/black-and-white-photography-is-truly-quite-a-departure-from-reality/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [Wilderness is rapidly becoming one of those aspects of the American dream which is more of the past than of the present. Wilderness is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/wilderness-is-rapidly-becoming-one-of-those-aspects-of-the-american/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/the-single-most-important-component-of-a-camera-is-the-twelve-inches/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [We make images to "honor what is greater and more interesting than we are."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/we-make-images-to-honor-what-is-greater-and-more-interesting-than-we/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [Photographers and artists contribute a lot to the world and have a right to exist in relative security and comfort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/photographers-and-artists-contribute-a-lot-to-the-world-and-have-a/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [There are worlds of experience beyond the world of the aggressive man, beyond history, and beyond science. The moods and qualities of nature and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/there-are-worlds-of-experience-beyond-the-world-of-the-aggressive-man/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [I have often thought that if photography were difficult in the true sense of the term-meaning that the creation of a simple photograph would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/i-have-often-thought-that-if-photography-were-difficult-in-the-true/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [Yosemite Valley, to me, is always a sunrise, a glitter of green and golden wonder in a vast edifice of stone and space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/yosemite-valley-to-me-is-always-a-sunrise-a-glitter-of-green-and/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [To visualize an image (in whole or in part) is to see clearly in the mind prior to exposure, a continuous projection from composing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/to-visualize-an-image-in-whole-or-in-part-is-to-see-clearly-in-the/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [To the vast majority of people a photograph is an image of something within their direct experience: a more-or-less factual reality. It is difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/to-the-vast-majority-of-people-a-photograph-is-an-image-of-something/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [Photograph not only what you see but also what you feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/photograph-not-only-what-you-see-but-also-what-you-feel/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [“A great photograph is a full expression of what one feels about what is being photographed in the deepest sense and is thereby a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/a-great-photograph-is-a-full-expression-of-what-one-feels-about-what/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [To photograph truthfully and effectively is to see beneath the surfaces and record the qualities of nature and humanity which live or are latent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/to-photograph-truthfully-and-effectively-is-to-see-beneath-the/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) [Explore all 154 Ansel Adams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) ## More Good quotes > [When I came to Chelsea, it was clear that, like many other players, I would first be loaned out. 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It's like everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tricky/sometimes-i-m-in-a-bad-mood-sometimes-i-m-in-a-good-mood-it-s-like/) [Tricky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tricky/) > [Eric Clapton's scales - when he comes off a high note and it's time for a refrain or a little bit of a rest,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-rea/eric-clapton-s-scales-when-he-comes-off-a-high-note-and-it-s-time-for/) [Chris Rea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-rea/) > [I studied all kinds of dance, all types of music. I got good grades. I started hitting the recording studio around 13.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-derulo/i-studied-all-kinds-of-dance-all-types-of-music-i-got-good-grades-i/) [Jason Derulo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-derulo/) > [Everybody has their cliques, and I was very shy. I'm still very shy. Music opened up doors. 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I knew what I needed to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikey-garcia/i-thought-i-fought-a-really-good-orlando-salido-i-never-let-him-get/) [Mikey Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikey-garcia/) Browse all 40,882 Good quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ansel Adams" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/there-are-no-rules-for-good-photographs-there-are-only-good/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Good" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/there-are-no-rules-for-good-photographs-there-are-only-good/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f0/ansel-adams-2687_photography_there-are-no-rules-for-good-photographs_1250944.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f0/ansel-adams-2687_photography_there-are-no-rules-for-good-photographs_1250944.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f0/ansel-adams-2687_photography_there-are-no-rules-for-good-photographs_1250944.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.” — Ansel Adams", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ansel Adams", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There are no rules for good...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/there-are-no-rules-for-good-photographs-there-are-only-good/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/there-are-no-rules-for-good-photographs-there-are-only-good/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```