This week’s challenge is inspired by all of those who are out there daring to break the rules. People like John Paul Jose | India, Xiuhtezcatl Martinez | USA, Holly Gillibrand | Scotland, Leah Namugerwa | Uganda, and Greta Thunberg | Sweden… all young people leading the fight for climate change all around the world. Breaking all of the rules. Skipping school to lead a protest. Daring to call out world leaders for their complicity, their unwillingness to acknowledge the science, and their focus on greed + politics instead of the betterment of the world. These young people (and there are so many more) are bad all trailblazers, teaching us all a lesson or two about the need to let go of the barriers + walls that keep us confined to our little safe life. It’s time to break down the walls, break out of our comfort zones, and break the rules.
And, of course, I am talking about all aspects of our life. From climate change to chasing our dreams to creating art to my little photography challenge. What if we took this “break the rules” attitude into every single part of our lives. Damn y’all. Think of the inspiration that would be filling the globe! Think of the possibilities + creations + inventions we would make!
So, even though it felt super uncomfortable for me, this week I let go of my need to control my photography. I just shot photos. I saw something inspiring and I didn’t think about it too much. I didn’t analyze. I didn’t care what anyone else thought about me as I sat on the ground to grab a pic or stood in the middle of a busy street to take a photo. I just did it. I just reacted. I went with my gut.
And it was sooooo freeing. Then, in the midst of editing my photos, I found that I saw even more than I had seen in the moment. Spontaneous, rule free photography led me to discover things that I’d captured that I hadn’t even noticed in the moment.
I just happened to snag some photos of the young people climate strike in Uppsala, which is the reason that I mention them in the beginning of this post. To me, the adults + young people out there on the streets on Friday symbolized exactly the energy that I had been working with all week.
Our willingness to get out of our little boxes + to try something new makes a difference. Our willingness to break the rules inspires others to do the same. Whether it be a climate strike or a photography challenge or any other little or big thing we do.
With all of that said, here are my photos from this week’s Break the Rules challenge!
The system is a joke, not the climate crisis. 
Ok, so what photography rules did I break?
Well, for one, as I said above, I let go of caring one little bit what someone else was thinking of me when I was snapping photos. I think that’s why I’ve found it so hard to get into street photography: I feel watched, judged, looked at. But, this week, I said, “WTF!” to myself. And it was so amazing to get lost in creating art.
Then, I also released my thoughts about how I shot photos. I followed no rules!
- I shot into the light.
- I didn’t line up my photos.
- I took low light photos.
- I didn’t focus my camera.
- I took photos of random spaces.
- I may have trespassed a little. Hehe.
- I chopped off my subject.
- I didn’t follow the rule of thirds.
I’m sure there are more. But, that’s what I’ve come up with now. So, let’s see how this little lesson affects my photography from here on out. I definitely let down my guard + allowed myself to be free, so I believe that it a big step in the right direction!
As for breaking the rules, just having the challenge in my daily photography has inspired me (along with all of those bad ass young people) to allow myself to break the rules everywhere…. for the betterment of myself + for the good of the world even. Being open to trying new things can lead us to amazing heights, beautiful creations, and a global community that inspires + cares for one another in ways we never have before.
So, get out there + do your thing. Be yourself. And break the rules.
xoxo. liz.
You can read more about the young climate activists of the world in this article.
