What is your landscape composition checklist?

[TheReal7]

I am still new to photography and am self taught. I am sure that a lot of you landscape photog's out there have a mental check list you go through when composing a shot. Just like golfer's do before they swing.

I'd love to hear what your check lists are! Post em up!!!

:cool:

[Lowner]

Scene: Yep.
Me: Yep.
Camera: Yep.
Brain: Maybe.
Check ISO Idiot: Yep
Tripod: Yep.

[neil_r]

Scene: Yep.
Me: Yep.
Camera: Yep.
Brain: Maybe.
Check ISO Idiot: Yep
Tripod: Yep.

after walking 4 hours up the mountain ..... CF card? .....Doh

[TheReal7]

HAHAHA doh is right! Hope that didn't happen! :D

Actually I am not referring to a gear checklist but more composition check list. What's your composition checklist? :D

[Lowner]

I have forgotten to take a spare battery in the past. Embarrassing at a motorsports event.

I hate to admit this, but I have been known to forget to focus back in the days of MF.

Thick or what?

[TheReal7]

I have forgotten to take a spare battery in the past. Embarrassing at a motorsports event.

I hate to admit this, but I have been known to forget to focus back in the days of MF.

Thick or what?

Not at all. Happened to me last night. Although it was really dark (night shooting) and I couldn't really see the lens and thought I was focused. hahah

[Lowner]

Oh, you want serious?

I always carry a set of 6 clear film and cardboard aids to composition, Rule of thirds is one of course, although that's simple enough to guess at, but I've got them with triangles, curly lines, you name it.

I also have to make myself check there are no dustbins or washing lines or coke cans lurking. They do tend to wait until I get home before pouncing.

[Strangely Brown]

after walking 4 hours up the mountain ..... CF card? .....Doh

This happened to me last year. I drove the 70 miles from where I live to Lulworth Cove in Dorset only to find that I had in my haste to leave home, had left both my batteries on charge.

I was not a happy bunny!!

[lostid]

Other than bringing extra battery, CF card, clamp plate (for tripod), I fire whenever I feel good about the shots. Make sure to shoot in RAW format so you can retrieve info in case of imperfect exposures.

[goldboughtrue]

Actually I am not referring to a gear checklist but more composition check list. What's your composition checklist? :D

While looking through the viewfinder I scan the scene looking for junk such as telephone poles and lines, trash (cans, paper). I also look at the sky and ground to see if I need my GND filter.

[jgrussell]

Horizon straight?
Junk in the image?
Better view from up higher or down lower?

(And if you're a self-taught relative newcomer to photography, you have some amazing natural talent to compensate for any lack of knowledge or training!)

[bps]

Scott,

This is an excellent question. When composing landscape shots, I ask myself the following: Do I have something interesting in the foreground of the image? Is there something interesting in the middle-ground of the image? And then I check to make sure there's something interesting in the distant part of the image.

A successful landscape image must have all three. By doing so, you draw a person into your image...

Bryan

[Lowner]

JGR,

Yes, thats the one ingredient I forgot to add to my checklist - TALENT. I'm not fussy, natural or trained, it's all the same to me. I just wish I had some.

Maybe thats why it was not on my list?

Sometimes I almost have some, but then the next day it's gone again.

[CannedHeat]

"Walk around."

Can't remember which, but this advice was given by either of the professionals Scott Kelby or Scott Bourne.

What they said was that the average photog normally comes upon a scene, thinks "wow!," plants the tripod and takes the pic. The advice was not to do that - but rather to walk around the scene to discover if there is a better shot, better foreground objects, better angles, better composition, etc.

[bps]

"Walk around."

Can't remember which, but this advice was given by either of the professionals Scott Kelby or Scott Bourne.

What they said was that the average photog normally comes upon a scene, thinks "wow!," plants the tripod and takes the pic. The advice was not to do that - but rather to walk around the scene to discover if there is a better shot, better foreground objects, better angles, better composition, etc.

Very good advice! Some of the world's greatest landscape photographers spend days searching for the perfect spot in which to create their image...

Bryan

[TheReal7]

Thank you all very much for the input!

And if you're a self-taught relative newcomer to photography, you have some amazing natural talent to compensate for any lack of knowledge or training!

Thank you. I am self taught and only be doing photography since I got my 40D in nov 07. The first 3-4 months were just learning my camera before I started shooting RAW. Now, I feel I have a good grasp on the camera and PP it's my composition skills that need major work IMO.