How Would You Have Shot This?
I think it is quite common to just grab our cameras and snap. And so the day goes, if you are just out and about. But when you are actively seeking a shoot, do you take into consideration the subject, the focus, blur, distance, horizon, background, angle, light & shadows, the effect what you wish to create with your shot, centering?
Take a look at this photo, and with all of these in mind how would you have shot this?
A Top Ten Photography List of Considerations
Consider the angle. Would a straight on shot or another angle have been more to your liking? Often a well-chose angle can make a dull shot like this one a dramatic shot.
The subject? Is this an appropriate subject for the distance you are at? Or might you have motored up closer? Or chosen another subject?
The focus? Would you have been able to focus on the entire ship or just a part, or is the focus on another area in the photo rather than the ship? Taking time to focus on the subject is worth a few seconds of your time. This shot was rushed and the focus is not at all on the subject. Watch your focus points in the viewfinder and place them squarely on the subject as you squeeze.
The blur? Has a proper bokeh been created? Or is the photo improperly blurred? And what could you have done to correct this. As above unless you wanted to create a great background or foreground blur, you might have captured a much better shot had the aperture been at a far smaller setting, say F18 or F22, rather than wide open at F4, in this case.
The distance? Could you have created a better image if you had been closer, even if your shot captured only the bow or the stern of the ship? Distance plays a great part in determining whether your subject is in a good frame referenced to the distance.A telephoto lens would have been better in this case as it would have brought a part of the ship in better view.
The horizon? Is the horizon level? And if it is would a slight tilt either way have given a more interesting capture? This depends on how you end using the image and you could adjust this in post processing if you wish, however it is an extra step you could have avoided had you considered the use beforehand.
The background? Could the background be fighting with the subject? While the bow and the stern are clearly outlined, the center has foliage from the trees competing with the bridge for a clear look. Making the subject the absolute main
Light and shadows? Do you see a way to have better set up the camera or lens for better detail in both the light and dark areas? For the most part the details are ok in this image, but there are parts of the bridge that are not a high enough dynamic range to show details in the shadows. Raising the ISO or adjusting up the Exposure might have given this photo a much better dynamic range.
Creating an Effect? Overall is the effect this shot demonstrates, an effect which appears interesting? Dramatic? Perhaps you are shooting with a associated product or story in mind. If this were a freight liner product ad, is the effect created successful? Sometimes this is what you want, at other times it is your client, be they another person or a Corporation.
Centered or Rule of Thirds? Is this subject properly within the frame for centering or the Rule of Thirds? It is not. Generally speaking movement begs for more territory ahead of the subject. In this case the open part of the frame is behind it, so the appearance is action which has already happened, rather than the anticipation of what is still ahead.
I have used this photo as it is a good demonstration of nearly everything one can fail to accomplish in an image. Use this guide to plan out a shoot or use this to review some of your existing photos for a way to look at not only the photo, but the camera settings to see if you are learning how to think ahead.
Now here's another with most done correctly.
Take a look at this photo, and with all of these in mind how would you have shot this?
A Top Ten Photography List of Considerations
Consider the angle. Would a straight on shot or another angle have been more to your liking? Often a well-chose angle can make a dull shot like this one a dramatic shot.
The subject? Is this an appropriate subject for the distance you are at? Or might you have motored up closer? Or chosen another subject?
The focus? Would you have been able to focus on the entire ship or just a part, or is the focus on another area in the photo rather than the ship? Taking time to focus on the subject is worth a few seconds of your time. This shot was rushed and the focus is not at all on the subject. Watch your focus points in the viewfinder and place them squarely on the subject as you squeeze.
The blur? Has a proper bokeh been created? Or is the photo improperly blurred? And what could you have done to correct this. As above unless you wanted to create a great background or foreground blur, you might have captured a much better shot had the aperture been at a far smaller setting, say F18 or F22, rather than wide open at F4, in this case.
The distance? Could you have created a better image if you had been closer, even if your shot captured only the bow or the stern of the ship? Distance plays a great part in determining whether your subject is in a good frame referenced to the distance.A telephoto lens would have been better in this case as it would have brought a part of the ship in better view.
The horizon? Is the horizon level? And if it is would a slight tilt either way have given a more interesting capture? This depends on how you end using the image and you could adjust this in post processing if you wish, however it is an extra step you could have avoided had you considered the use beforehand.
The background? Could the background be fighting with the subject? While the bow and the stern are clearly outlined, the center has foliage from the trees competing with the bridge for a clear look. Making the subject the absolute main
Light and shadows? Do you see a way to have better set up the camera or lens for better detail in both the light and dark areas? For the most part the details are ok in this image, but there are parts of the bridge that are not a high enough dynamic range to show details in the shadows. Raising the ISO or adjusting up the Exposure might have given this photo a much better dynamic range.
Creating an Effect? Overall is the effect this shot demonstrates, an effect which appears interesting? Dramatic? Perhaps you are shooting with a associated product or story in mind. If this were a freight liner product ad, is the effect created successful? Sometimes this is what you want, at other times it is your client, be they another person or a Corporation.
Centered or Rule of Thirds? Is this subject properly within the frame for centering or the Rule of Thirds? It is not. Generally speaking movement begs for more territory ahead of the subject. In this case the open part of the frame is behind it, so the appearance is action which has already happened, rather than the anticipation of what is still ahead.
I have used this photo as it is a good demonstration of nearly everything one can fail to accomplish in an image. Use this guide to plan out a shoot or use this to review some of your existing photos for a way to look at not only the photo, but the camera settings to see if you are learning how to think ahead.
Now here's another with most done correctly.
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