Composing frustration

[shniks]

Hi there,
I was just wondering why its so hard to compose whilst out there shooting, but its so damn easy to do when you get home and see the picture on the computer. I'm getting frustrated with all the cropping I am doing. I am using the lcd to compose as my G5's lens barrel gets in the way. I am thinking maybe the lcd could be the reason, because of its obvious limitations compared to your normal vision.
Any tips? Do any of you have the same problem?
Thanks!

[PhotosGuy]

Try this: Before you pick up the cam, LOOK at the scene & decide just what it is that you're trying to accomplish. Take a shot. Look some more. Shoot some more. Try for an improvement on the original choice. In other words, try to learn to see. See the telephone pole growing out of someones head. See the bad reflection in someones glasses, etc. In time, you'll be able to predict what you want to get as a final result before you take the pic. You're seeing "new" things in your pics on the computer because they're blown up & detail can't be seen on the LCD. So, you'll have to learn to see in real life before you take the pic.

I can't use the LCD to compose. I always liked taking pictures but didn't really learn to see until I got my first SLR & it opened a whole new world for me. Since you don't have that advantage of WYSIWYG with the G5, maybe you'll have to continue to shoot a bit wider than normal & crop in post processing. Eventually you'll have more usable pic area & your crops will go from x% to 99%.

Hope that helps. Just keep at it.

[dtrayers]

For me, the most effective tool for improving composition skills is a tripod.

It slows me down enough that I study the scene more as I figure out where to position the tripod.

I had a G3 and when I used it on a tripod I had the just the first two sections of the tripod legs extended. The camera was at about abdomen level. I would rotate the LCD screen up and use it like an old fashioned twin-reflex camera (thought the image isn't reversed! :lol: ). I would put the camera on a 2-second timer so I would be hands-off when the shutter opened.

Try it!

[sdommin]

Hi there,
I was just wondering why its so hard to compose whilst out there shooting, but its so damn easy to do when you get home and see the picture on the computer. I'm getting frustrated with all the cropping I am doing. I am using the lcd to compose as my G5's lens barrel gets in the way. I am thinking maybe the lcd could be the reason, because of its obvious limitations compared to your normal vision.

You are on the right track by using your LCD. Don't give that up! You just need to take the next step, which is to learn to "see" just a bit differently. You need to look at your LCD and deliberately think of the picture you see there as your final picture. In other words, think of your LCD as a small version of your computer monitor. Try that and see if it helps.

[PhotosGuy]

I agree that using a tripod to enforce shooting discipline is a good idea.

Other "tricks":
1/ When I was a full-time pro I used to bracket like crazy to try to eliminate variables that could jump up & screw you. (More on that in the post titled "Bracket", if you're interested.)
So, just for fun, I went to the zoo with 2 lenses (a 50 & a 1000mm) and one 20 exposure roll of B&W film. I came back with 10 pics that I really liked.
So, what I'm saying is, maybe after you're comfortable with the "Take a shot. Look some more. Shoot some more." thing, you might try restricting yourself to just 20 shots during one days shoot to force yourself to slow down even more & really LOOK at what you're about to take a pic of. Make a pic instead of taking a snapshot.

2/ Sometimes you have to ask yourself what you're trying to acheive when you take a pic, so try carrying a little notepad with you. Before you take a pic, write down why you're doing it. What are you trying to show? Would it be better if you used a WA, or Tele shot? Would a different angle be better? Should you wait 3 hours for the light to be perfect? Would an overcast day be better? Then, after, critique yourself & see what you can learn from the results.

Keep trying - it does get easier!

[shniks]

Thanks everyone, some really excellent suggestions here, I am going to try every one of them. And its true, I really need to slow down the process, and really evaluate before I shoot.

[nosquare2003]

Yeah, all advices look great. I learn to take photos by using prime lens (fixed focal length lens). For framing, I can't just stand and zoom. I have to walk back and forth to look for the composition. With such "limitation", I have "discovered" a new world. After I get used to one prime lens, I got another. For me, zoom is convenient -- but it is too convenient...

PhotosGuy's advice "Take a shot. Look some more. Shoot some more." is very good. It may not be easy to think at the beginning. Just try to shoot the same scene with different angles, different focal lengths and observe the differences.