Questions that you ask prior to hitting the shutter button

Why am I putting myself through this hell again !

What they said, +...
The thing is, shooting is a process for me. Someone once said that if you have an idea, write it down & that frees up your brain to come up with more. Same for pics. Shoot anything to start. Chimp. Move around. Shoot some more. Chimp some more. As ideas come to you, shoot them. Chimp. Move around. Shoot some more, Etc. I usually "plan" on throwing the first 80% away. It's the process that counts. When you know you have it "in the can", shoot some more. Sometimes it's that last shot that really does it!
With film & a new model, I'd shoot with 2 cams, one empty just to give them time to loosen up.

Did I unplug the coffee pot this morning???

PhotosGuy wrote:
What they said, +...
The thing is, shooting is a process for me. Someone once said that if you have an idea, write it down & that frees up your brain to come up with more. Same for pics. Shoot anything to start. Chimp. Move around. Shoot some more. Chimp some more. As ideas come to you, shoot them. Chimp. Move around. Shoot some more, Etc. I usually "plan" on throwing the first 80% away. It's the process that counts. When you know you have it "in the can", shoot some more. Sometimes it's that last shot that really does it!
With film & a new model, I'd shoot with 2 cams, one empty just to give them time to loosen up.

I'm the same way. I remember going out one night and taking a bunch of shots. not really feeling it. then i got this idea,
http://blacklinux.com …006/0214/_MG_39​20dark.jpg
I knew before I even pulled the trigger that that was the best shot of the night. I remember looking thru the viewfinder and feeling like i found a 20 dollar bill on the side of a busy street. Then I pulled to trigger and felt like "YES! I got it!" I didn't even chimp over it but i knew it was the best shot that night even before the night was over.

I mostly photograph kids, so oftentimes I don't have time to think, especially w/ busy toddlers. I spend a lot of time hoping they're in focus, especially w/ a shallow DOF, and the exposure is close because I don't always get the chance to check my settings before I snap the shutter to catch that cute expression. I always shoot RAW so I can make corrections there.

Not to lead anyone down the garden path, but take what I said above as a situation where I'm just wandering around looking for something to shoot.
When we shot cars, it was mandatory to pick the angle first, then spend 1/2 day lighting it. Take an 8X10" B&W "polaroid" to make the AD happy. Then make adjustments & shoot 2 on the meter & process one (transparency). Then, based on that result, shoot a 1 & 2 stop bracket & adjust processing on all 5 (includes the 1st normal shot) to get slightly different contrasts & color variations.

For PJ work, I'd use a variation of what Kenny does in this thread. Look over the situation & decide what is of interest & when would be the best time to shoot it. Forget the chimping part as there was no digital then, but the process was much the same. Shoot & look for a better variation as you go.
Film was the cheapest expense compared to the other costs of getting the job done.

Experience is the key. Past experience will suggest what you think you want & how to get it. While you're shooting, your brain is churning with variations. What happens in front of you might lead you down a different path. Experience suggests whether it's the right path.

I can tell when I have what I, or the client need, but that doesn't mean that I want it to stop there. Sorry if this is a bit muddled. Shoot every day. Build up your own "experience file". Plan for what you need to get & let the happy accidents happen along the way.

'What will go wrong this time?'

Seriously, I find it difficult to explain the image I 'see' in my mind with words, because my mind tends to be in 'visual mode' when I'm taking pictures.

Alternative explanation is, of course, that I don't think of anything at all ... possible, but I prefer the other explanation

Best regards,
Andy

Which one is the shutter button?

Echoes of you buzzing around inside my head?!?!?!

Will I, or anyone else, ever want to look at the photo that i'm about to take?

Yes = shoot
No = try again.

Usually "oh crap, I left the ISO on 1600"...it is my worst habit.

As I do mostly animal shots, I spend most of my time waiting for eye contact or the right facial expression. Before I wait for that, I have already decided on shutter speed and aperature etc, which took a second to decide on anyway.

So I guess most of the time is "that's it" and click, to hope I got that expression I wanted.

I also think for me, visualising it sometimes seems to make it happen....I can tell when I'm going to get THE SHOT.

Ah theres my problem I just press, ask the questions later.

Yes the ISO setting. Got that fixed leave on 100 all the time

I think the main reason why most photos aren't great is because the photographer didn't look at the whole picture and the composition carefully.

If you take a photo too quickly, you will only concentrate on the main subject that you see through the viewfinder. Afterwards, when you're looking at the photo, you discover that there are all kinds of distracting things in the background, that the horizon isn't straight, that you cut off the subject's head or feet, etc.

One thing in particular that I'm noticing in my portrait photos is that I'm leaving too much space above a person's head and that sometimes the feet are cut off...

Sometimes you have no choice and you have to be quick, otherwise the moment has passed, but if I have more time to make a photo, I carefully look around in the viewfinder to see the whole scene, and I especially notice the background to see if there are no distracting elements.

It's important to notice what f-stop you're using because it determines the DOF, but at least as important is that it determines the amount of background blur. I use the DOF preview button sometimes to see the amount of background blur.

I have a DOF chart in my bag but I never use it.

Good points here...

Great for flower macros
On portraits, however, this might result in your subjects having a pained expression because they have to wait so long for your shot

That happens to me most of the time when I use the center focal point and try to get the face in focus... It helps to select the focus point that allows you to get the face in the right place in your image for a certain series of shots taken from the same point with the same camera orientation (although it's a pain that you then have to change the focal point if you change composition)

Best regards,
Andy