---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Now, to consult the rules of composition…"
description: "\"Now, to consult the rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of gravity before going for a walk.\" — Edward Weston"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd6/edward-weston-8944_accomplished_now-to-consult-the-rules-of-composition_3104455.jpg"
---

#  Now, to consult the rules of composition before making a…

![“Now, to consult the rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of gravity before going for a walk.” quote by Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd6/edward-weston-8944_accomplished_now-to-consult-the-rules-of-composition_3104455.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd6/edward-weston-8944_accomplished_now-to-consult-the-rules-of-composition_3104455.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd6/edward-weston-8944_accomplished_now-to-consult-the-rules-of-composition_3104455.jpg)

> “Now, to consult the rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of gravity before going for a walk.”

[Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Consulting rules before creation is as unnecessary as fearing gravity while walking; creativity thrives on intuition.

**In simple terms:** Rules can hinder creative flow.

Key Takeaway

Trust intuition over strict rules.

Themes

creativity intuition process

Mood

inspirational pragmatic

Type

creative reflective

When to use this quote

- design
- painting
- photography

Key Concepts

artistic freedom spontaneity innovation

Questions to Reflect On

- When should you follow rules?
- How much structure aids creativity?

A Different Perspective

Some guidelines can prevent mistakes.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Gravitation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gravitation/) [Gravity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gravity/) [Inspirational photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational-photography/) [Inspiring photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiring-photography/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Photo shoots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photo-shoots/) [Photographer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photographer/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/)

## Related quotes

> [“To consult the rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of gravitation before going for a walk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/to-consult-the-rules-of-composition-before-making-a-picture-is-a/)

[Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/)

> [Now to consult the rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of gravitation before going for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/now-to-consult-the-rules-of-composition-before-making-a-picture-is-a/)

[Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/)

> [You don't make a photograph just with a camera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/you-don-t-make-a-photograph-just-with-a-camera/)

[Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/)

> [Light makes photography. Embrace light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eastman/light-makes-photography-embrace-light/)

[George Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eastman/)

> [Consulting the rules of composition before taking a photograph, is like consulting the laws of gravity before going for a walk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/consulting-the-rules-of-composition-before-taking-a-photograph-is/)

[Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/)

> [I am forever chasing light. Light turns the ordinary into the magical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-parke/i-am-forever-chasing-light-light-turns-the-ordinary-into-the-magical/)

Trent Parke

> [If you want something to look interesting, don’t light all of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-loengard/if-you-want-something-to-look-interesting-don-t-light-all-of-it/)

[John Loengard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-loengard/)

> [Available light is any damn light that is available!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-eugene-smith/available-light-is-any-damn-light-that-is-available/)

[W. Eugene Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-eugene-smith/)

> [In collage you're doing it in stages so you're not actually doing it right there. You first of all draw it on the paper,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-rego/in-collage-you-re-doing-it-in-stages-so-you-re-not-actually-doing-it/)

[Paula Rego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-rego/)

> [“We were jigsawed, meant to fit together, making a whole picture.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alix-ohlin/we-were-jigsawed-meant-to-fit-together-making-a-whole-picture/)

Alix Ohlin

> [What we need is more sense of the wonder of life and less of this business of making a picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/what-we-need-is-more-sense-of-the-wonder-of-life-and-less-of-this/)

[Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/)

> [If anyone gets in my way when I'm making a picture, I become irrational. I'm never sure what I am going to do, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/if-anyone-gets-in-my-way-when-i-m-making-a-picture-i-become/)

[Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/)

> [A photograph is a photograph. When I am making a picture I am just interested in making a very interesting photograph. I don't care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abelardo-morell/a-photograph-is-a-photograph-when-i-am-making-a-picture-i-am-just/)

[Abelardo Morell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abelardo-morell/)

> [To me documentary photography means making a picture so that the viewer doesn’t think about the man who made the picture. At its esthetic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-siskind/to-me-documentary-photography-means-making-a-picture-so-that-the/)

[Aaron Siskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-siskind/)

> [You can also see sometimes that the best pictures are the ones where you didn't try so hard, where you were just enjoying the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/you-can-also-see-sometimes-that-the-best-pictures-are-the-ones-where/)

[John Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sexton/)

## More by Edward Weston

> [I don't care if you make a print on a bath mat, just as long as it is a good print.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/i-don-t-care-if-you-make-a-print-on-a-bath-mat-just-as-long-as-it-is/)

[Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/)

> [Since the recording process is instantaneous, and the nature of the image such that it cannot survive corrective handwork, it is obvious that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/since-the-recording-process-is-instantaneous-and-the-nature-of-the/)

[Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/)

> [for the obvious reason that nature - unadulterated and unimproved by man - is simply chaos. In fact, the camera proves that nature is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/for-the-obvious-reason-that-nature-unadulterated-and-unimproved-by/)

[Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/)

> [Good composition is merely the strongest way of seeing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/good-composition-is-merely-the-strongest-way-of-seeing/)

[Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/)

> [Now one does not think during creative work: any more than one thinks when driving a car. One has a background of years —…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/now-one-does-not-think-during-creative-work-any-more-than-one-thinks/)

[Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/)

> [The photographer's most important and likewise most difficult task is not learning to manage his camera, or to develop, or to print. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/the-photographer-s-most-important-and-likewise-most-difficult-task-is/)

[Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/)

> […so called “composition” becomes a personal thing, to be developed along with technique, as a personal way of seeing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/so-called-composition-becomes-a-personal-thing-to-be-developed-along/)

[Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/)

> [Very often people looking at my pictures say, 'You must have had to wait a long time to get that cloud just right (or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/very-often-people-looking-at-my-pictures-say-you-must-have-had-to/)

[Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/)

> [An excellent conception can be quite obscured by faulty technical execution or clarified by faultless technique.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/an-excellent-conception-can-be-quite-obscured-by-faulty-technical/)

[Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/)

> [I would say to any artist: Don't be repressed in your work, dare to experiment, consider any urge, if in a new direction all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/i-would-say-to-any-artist-don-t-be-repressed-in-your-work-dare-to/)

[Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/)

> [Ultimately success or failure in photographing people depends on the photographer's ability to understand his fellow man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/ultimately-success-or-failure-in-photographing-people-depends-on-the/)

[Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/)

> [Consulting the rules of composition before taking a photograph, is like consulting the laws of gravity before going for a walk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/consulting-the-rules-of-composition-before-taking-a-photograph-is/)

[Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/)

> [As great a picture can be made as one's mental capacity-no greater. Art cannot be taught; it must be self-inspiration, though the imagination may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/as-great-a-picture-can-be-made-as-one-s-mental-capacity-no-greater/)

[Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/)

> [I always work better when I do not reason, when no question of right or wrong enter in,-when my pulse quickens to the form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/i-always-work-better-when-i-do-not-reason-when-no-question-of-right/)

[Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/)

> [Results alone should be appraised; the way in which these are achieved is of importance only to the maker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/results-alone-should-be-appraised-the-way-in-which-these-are-achieved/)

[Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/)

[Explore all 76 Edward Weston quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/)

## More Accomplished quotes

> [I never believed in trying to do anything. Whatever I set out to do I found I had already accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/i-never-believed-in-trying-to-do-anything-whatever-i-set-out-to-do-i/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [This is, for an accomplished Latino, an accomplished African American, an accomplished anyone who disproves stereotypes, it's a constant battle in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-sotomayor/this-is-for-an-accomplished-latino-an-accomplished-african-american/)

[Sonia Sotomayor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-sotomayor/)

> [When you have accomplished your goal simply walk away. This is the path way to Heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/when-you-have-accomplished-your-goal-simply-walk-away-this-is-the/)

[Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/)

> [... even the most sublimely accomplished non-stop talker can't consistently please.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger-2/even-the-most-sublimely-accomplished-non-stop-talker-can-t/)

[J. D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger-2/)

> [ \[U\]nless oppressed groups stick together, and on alliances of self interest rather than do-goodism; nothing can be accomplished in the long run to dismantle… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/u-nless-oppressed-groups-stick-together-and-on-alliances-of-self/)

[Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/)

> [Alas, you don't need monsters for monstrous deeds to be accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/alas-you-don-t-need-monsters-for-monstrous-deeds-to-be-accomplished/)

[Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/)

> [Like all writers, he measured the achievements of others by what they had accomplished, asking of them that they measure him by what he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/like-all-writers-he-measured-the-achievements-of-others-by-what-they/)

[Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/)

> [I'm proud of what I've accomplished and that is empowering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/violet-chachki/i-m-proud-of-what-i-ve-accomplished-and-that-is-empowering/)

[Violet Chachki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/violet-chachki/)

> [We do not know today whether we are busy or idle. In times when we thought ourselves indolent, we have afterwards discovered that much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/we-do-not-know-today-whether-we-are-busy-or-idle-in-times-when-we/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [I don't know Beyoncé, but I have the impression that she's sincere, that she really is a feminist and wanted to put the word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-don-t-know-beyonc-but-i-have-the-impression-that-she-s-sincere-that/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [The gain in self-confidence of having accomplished a tiresome labour is immense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/the-gain-in-self-confidence-of-having-accomplished-a-tiresome-labour/)

[Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/)

> [With Epcot Center, the Disney corporation has accomplished something I didn't think possible in today's world. They have created a land of make-believe that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/with-epcot-center-the-disney-corporation-has-accomplished-something-i/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Listing the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act could harm bear conservation efforts by eliminating revenues from the carefully-regulated sport hunting of polar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ridenour/listing-the-polar-bear-under-the-endangered-species-act-could-harm/)

Amy Ridenour

> [“Great things can be accomplished, when it doesnt matter who gets the credit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/great-things-can-be-accomplished-when-it-doesnt-matter-who-gets-the/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [If I could inspire you for even a moment to be yourself and love yourself, and not let what anyone has to say hinder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-neal-hartry/if-i-could-inspire-you-for-even-a-moment-to-be-yourself-and-love/)

[Joshua Neal Hartry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-neal-hartry/)

Browse all 1,379 Accomplished quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Now, to consult the rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of gravity before going for a walk.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Edward Weston"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/now-to-consult-the-rules-of-composition-before-making-a-picture-is-a-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Accomplished"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/now-to-consult-the-rules-of-composition-before-making-a-picture-is-a-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd6/edward-weston-8944_accomplished_now-to-consult-the-rules-of-composition_3104455.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd6/edward-weston-8944_accomplished_now-to-consult-the-rules-of-composition_3104455.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd6/edward-weston-8944_accomplished_now-to-consult-the-rules-of-composition_3104455.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Now, to consult the rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of…” — Edward Weston",
                "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": "Edward Weston",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Now, to consult the rules of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/now-to-consult-the-rules-of-composition-before-making-a-picture-is-a-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/now-to-consult-the-rules-of-composition-before-making-a-picture-is-a-2/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
