Lessons from the masters
We are never too arrogant that we can not continue to learn from others whether it be pros such as these or your friendly neighbourhood shutterbug…
Slow down
I’m sure you’ve heard this before and possibly have read about the importance of slowing down and making your photographs with more deliberate intentions. Our crushingly convenient modern era of virtually unlimited and relatively low cost film (i.e. digital photography) has lent itself to making us potentially sloppy in our shooting. We sometimes press the shutter button entirely too often in order to get a suitable image for processing. I will shamefully raise my hand and admit that I too am guilty of this spray and pray method of shooting, more so in my earlier photography days right after I made the leap from analog to digital.
I did myself a favor, that I also encourage you to do for yourself, and decided to take things more seriously. Ansel would consider all aspects of his composition: from the elevation and tilt of his camera, the perspective of his lenses, the cast of shadows, even the future effects of the wind on the clouds. There will be times when you are racing against a sunset or you will be trying to catch some specific or fleeting moment and at those times you must shoot quickly and intuitively. Usually, however, we rush for no perceivable reason and often overlook or forget small changes that can make or break an image. So the next time the muse slaps you across the face to make an image, calm yourself down and work the problem. Think about what it is you are trying to do. Put yourself into the correct mindset to make better images and you might find, strangely enough, that your images become better also.
