Photo rules

I screwed up. I screwed up big time. There are (at least) 3 fundamental rules for taking good pictures. To consistently take good pictures, one must check these 3 quickly before each click in the following sequence:

1. correct choice of f (aperture) for a desired effect
2. correct exposure
3. hold camera steady

Other rules may be
4. choose proper film for the photo setting eg. 400-1600 for night pictures with people
5. use grad filters if necessary
and many others.

I screwed up in 2. I took a picture of a small bright sunlit flower in front of a dark shaded background. My experience told me that unless I underexposed considerably, my subject (the flower) would be a blur of bright light. I underexposed 2 full stops. The image came out nice. From then on, until the end of the roll, and well into the next one, I kept taking pictures 2 stops underexposed... some of my best compositions came out horribly dark.