The Importance of Having Set Rules

Having rules is really important in running any type of job or project. They are the set guidlines that the people you're working with so everything will run smoothly. But, there is a fine line between having control over things and being completely controlling. It's the difference between people following your rules and ignoring them. Everyone should have the obvious, basic rules and then their own personal rules that need to be followed. The basic rules (for photography) are showing up on time, no fooling around, no water or food around the cameras/equipment, and just having overall professionalism. Then I would think of having reasonable, personal rules. They would have to relate to the actual task at hand or it would seem completely unneccesary and no one would want to follow them, which leads me to my next point.

I feel that in order for people to actually listen to your rules is if you stand by them. If you don't continuosly enforce them or let something slide, people wont respect you or your rules. Having your own personal rules takes a balance of being reasonable and also you carrying out what you've set. So have a set list and stick to it.

Also, having rules can keep people safe. If there are no rules and everyone is just running around someone can get hurt and equipment can get damaged. Having the rule of no food or drinks by the cameras is important because somebody can spill someting all over the expensive equipment and hundreds of dollars can go down the drain. So setting limits on specific things is actually precautionary and can prevent accidents, keeping everyone safe in the long run.

When, you're in charge of people, everything they do inevitably reflects back on you. So if someone messes up becuase they didn't know they could do something, it makes you look bad and irresponsible. Like if you're doing a shoot and you're borrowing someone's equipment or work space and the people you're working with breaks something, it gives people the wrong impression of you and they might not let you use their things again/

Going on to more extreme consequences of not having rules, if someone doesn't know what they should and shouldn't be doing can actually lead to them breaking more serious rules like liability laws or plagerism. Some people actually need to be told the right and wrongs, even if they seem obvious, just so there's no confusion that leads to more serious things.

Lastly, having consquences for your rules is also needed. It lets people know that you're serious and not bluffing and ultimately makes people more likely to respect them. They shouldn't be outrageous and should correspond with the rule they're attached to. The more serious the rule, the larger the consequence of breaking it.

As you can see, implementing rules and following up to make sure everyone obeys them is important. It establishes respect with the people around you, keeps people safe and is good for your reputation.