Rules. We don' need no stinkin' rules.

Ahhh.. but these rules of thumb, technology and simple calculations are cool. If you don't know them, and most of us know most of them, here are a dozen rules that can make shooting seem less like guesswork and more like an controlled art form.

Twelve Essential Photographic Rules - - PopPhotoSeptember 2007: "What happens when your systems go belly-up, when all of that cutting-edge technology dies and you must rely on (gasp!) your own knowledge? It pays to have these basics in your head. They can get you out of a jam and help you get good shots when nothing else will. 1. Sunny 16 Rule The basic exposure for an average scene taken on a bright, sunny day is f/16 at a shutter speed equivalent to one over the ISO setting—that is, f/16 at 1/100 sec at ISO 100. From this you can interpolate, and try f/22 at the beach, f/11 on a cloudy-bright day, etc."