Outdoor Photography Tips: Composition
Ansel Adams always said he would first see the finished photograph in his head and then he would do all the things necessary to accomplish that.
We are not using a big 4X5 view camera as he did, but there are things we can do. Think about what you want and then do it.
With people in a posed setting organize them so their best is seen.
Don't put people shoulder to shoulder unless you are shooting your entire extended family.
Group them in two's and three's with a small gap between them.
We don't naturally stand at attention so we should not do that for a picture either. Have everyone relax and the naturalness will come out.
Consider the background. Are you taking a picture of the mountain behind them or the people standing in front?
Reduce the frame to emphasize what is important, the people (or the person). Take a photo of the background by itself.
When we are "following the action" around the campsite we should shoot first and see what we can do with them in the computer screen later. Live action can provide us with some great expressions.
When out in the field and preparing for that great wall hanger of a photograph we need to stop and think a little bit.
Here the "Ansel Adams" in us should come out and let our "minds eye" create the composition.
Then all we need to do is capture it.
For landscape, consider what your eye tends to see first. Is it a spot of color, a unique rock formation? Anything the eye is drawn to in life will aid your photographic composition.
What I learned about Composition
One of my photography instructors in college was not an academic. He was a professional that taught part time and in his work he specialized in product photography. He had completed his MA from a mid-western major university and was now setting up his studio and attracting clients.
I developed a great respect for him and his work. As a result I requested and the college granted a special program where I could work with him one on one for a semester. It was a phenomenal time for me!!
A story he told me really stuck and I will pass it on to you. In his freshman year his professor forbad the use of any complex camera. He made all of his students use the old Kodak Instamatic camera exclusively. Why? Because his goal was to get them to concentrate on composition, not any other thing, that was all he graded them on.
Guess what he did with me for a couple of weeks!!
It's the composition that really matters in a great outdoor photograph, not always with the equipment you use.
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