Don't lose your composure over composition...

Hopefully this will be an interesting discussion:)
composition is certainly something I've struggled with in the past and still do with landscapes
in my opinion tho wildlife photography does work best when you use the rule of thirds, a shot of a bird plonked bang in the middle of the frame does look pants or a cheetah running across the frame needs space to run into
 
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Simon, I'm not sure if I ought to be flattered or concerned. Let's get a fresh start here ok, I'd value your insights.

Aah, Gordon. Your emotional response to my comments is no concern of mine.

I think I'll just let things take their natural course.
 
Three weeks from now, I will be photographing my crops. Imagine where you will be, and it will be so. Hold the line! Stay with me! If you find yourself alone, photographing in the green fields with the sun on your face, do not be troubled. For you are in Elysium, and you're already dead! , Brothers, what we do in life... echoes in eternity

Ok. Well thanks for that. So you're some sort of farmer.
 
Aah, Gordon. Your emotional response to my comments is no concern of mine.

I think I'll just let things take their natural course.

If you're going to do that don't blame me. People that do that tend to suffer a lot.
 
Hopefully this will be an interesting discussion:)
composition is certainly something I've struggled with in the past and still do with landscapes
in my opinion tho wildlife photography does work best when you use the rule of thirds, a shot of a bird plonked bang in the middle of the frame does look pants or a cheetah running across the frame needs space to run into

You got cheetahs in North Wales?
 
So, does anyone else have any useful tips they'd like to share or not? This is all very one way.
.

Listen to me. Learn from me. I was not the best because I photographed quickly. I was the best because the crowd loved me.
 
Thank you so much for the very kind offer, Gortch. While I truly appreciate it from the bottom of my very shallow heart, I can honestly say I am gaining all the education I need from you right here. :)

Yes its certainly an edjucayshun to see a true master at work
 
Gordy believes that all photographs taken in captivity are crap

And that all photographs taken anywhere are crap. By anyone. At any time.

Unless they are a stock photo of a toaster so he can graphically design it into an Argos catalogue.
 
or a not particularly good photo of a kingfisher which may or may not have been his own work - it didn't stay on the forum long enough for anyone to tell
 
Gordy believes that all photographs taken in captivity are crap

Yes I remember from the other thread
If he took the time to have a look at the posts in the captive animals section he would change his opinion
Some of the members here Gordon travel all over the country to different zoos and their work is superb
 
nah can't be - anyone who disagrees with him is wrong, remember
 
Ok so you have your sunglasses on, your eyes screwed up, and as you look through your frame your mind is brimming with ideas and grand plans. Sam asked then what, or something to that effect.

Here's what I recommend. Empty your mind completely. Forget everything. Forget you are even there to take a picture. Just simply contemplate what you see through your frame.

It's hard to empty your mind sometimes, I know, but there are ways of doing that. I like to hum a tune to myself (for me it's usually one of kraftwerk's but it can be anything you like). Basically you are trying to distract and preoccupy your consciousness so that you can focus almost singularly on what you see in your frame. Don't be afraid to stand on benches or walls or get down on your knees either. Let the magic begin.
 
I am too trusting and too likely to believe what people say!

watch yourself sam , he wants you to get down on your knees and work magic for him... now call me mr suspicious :whistle:
 
I'm still waiting for April 1 and finding out its one of the sites admins or similar messing us about.
 
Ok so you have your sunglasses on, your eyes screwed up, and as you look through your frame your mind is brimming with ideas and grand plans. Sam asked then what, or something to that effect.

Here's what I recommend. Empty your mind completely. Forget everything. Forget you are even there to take a picture. Just simply contemplate what you see through your frame.

It's hard to empty your mind sometimes, I know, but there are ways of doing that. I like to hum a tune to myself (for me it's usually one of kraftwerk's but it can be anything you like). Basically you are trying to distract and preoccupy your consciousness so that you can focus almost singularly on what you see in your frame. Don't be afraid to stand on benches or walls or get down on your knees either. Let the magic begin.

The budhist/Zen/hippy/mightaswellgetstonedandtog method? ok, then.
 
I'm still waiting for April 1 and finding out its one of the sites admins or similar messing us about.
Some people are so damned suspicious blaming the site staff for winding you all up.
What ever next?
:D
 
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Sorry Sam its been a long day .. I apologise most humbly from the very heart of my bottom
 
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Thank you - I will squint and frame it and just hope I get the composition spot on................
:puke:
Pass the mind bleach!
 
Thank you so much for the very kind offer, Gortch. While I truly appreciate it from the bottom of my very shallow heart, I can honestly say I am gaining all the education I need from you right here. :)

Ah ok. I wasn't really thinking in terms of education though, Sam. More like a little break from what you are accustomed to, if that makes sense. I wasn't thinking long term. It's good to just dabble occasionally, stray away from your comfort zone. And we all know how easy it is to get into a suffocating routine with things like this. The offer stands though, you know where I am. If you send me one of your pictures, I'll do likewise, and who knows, maybe we will both find something in each other's photo that we like.
 
So, does anyone else have any useful tips they'd like to share or not? .

okay - one of the useful tips I'd share is to make sure you've got a clean background , and don't have lots of branches in the frame - unless you can completely blow them out with bokeh just rendering them a little oof with dof doesn't work

this is an absolutely classic example of a shot that could have been good ruined by sloppy composition

3675-1396263681-f8f4147ec02ea65f595bd2151b9d3ca2.jpg


shooting from a little further left would have put the bird solidly against a green background and avoided having its head bisected by the branch - it would also have avoided the branch at bottom left. - so close and yet so far
 
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Ah ok. I wasn't really thinking in terms of education though, Sam. More like a little break from what you are accustomed to, if that makes sense. I wasn't thinking long term. It's good to just dabble occasionally, stray away from your comfort zone. And we all know how easy it is to get into a suffocating routine with things like this. The offer stands though, you know where I am. If you send me one of your pictures, I'll do likewise, and who knows, maybe we will both find something in each other's photo that we like.

You know what, Gordon, if I thought for a moment you were being genuine, I might well like to do that. It's a shame that I can not take you at face value - most of the time on here, I would be more than happy to do that because most of the members are people I would love to interact with on pretty much any level. Some of your more reasonable comments make complete sense to me.

So, joking aside, thank you for the offer. I will decline for the moment. :)
 
okay - one of the useful times I'd share is to make sure you've got a clean background , and don't have lots of branches in the frame - unless you can completely blow them out with bokeh just rendering them a little oof with dof doesn't work

this is an absolutely classic example of a shot that could have been good ruined by sloppy composition

3675-1396263681-f8f4147ec02ea65f595bd2151b9d3ca2.jpg

Nonsense, I have shots of it with an entirely soft background, I prefer ones like that where you see the environment it lives in. And I'm not the only one.

The photo lacks sharpness but that wasn't a failing as such, it's just down to bad light. Also, I was zoomed in as far as I could go and in a fixed position... You can't exactly roam around framing shots with kingfishers.
 
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Ok so you have your sunglasses on, your eyes screwed up, and as you look through your frame your mind is brimming with ideas and grand plans. Sam asked then what, or something to that effect.

Here's what I recommend. Empty your mind completely. Forget everything. Forget you are even there to take a picture. Just simply contemplate what you see through your frame.

It's hard to empty your mind sometimes, I know, but there are ways of doing that. I like to hum a tune to myself (for me it's usually one of kraftwerk's but it can be anything you like). Basically you are trying to distract and preoccupy your consciousness so that you can focus almost singularly on what you see in your frame. Don't be afraid to stand on benches or walls or get down on your knees either. Let the magic begin.

Pure Gold :D
 
Ah ok. I wasn't really thinking in terms of education though, Sam. More like a little break from what you are accustomed to, if that makes sense. I wasn't thinking long term. It's good to just dabble occasionally, stray away from your comfort zone. And we all know how easy it is to get into a suffocating routine with things like this. The offer stands though, you know where I am. If you send me one of your pictures, I'll do likewise, and who knows, maybe we will both find something in each other's photo that we like.
Ah we still talking about dating photography?
 
He's not a graphic designer.

Why on earth would anyone pretend to be a graphic designer? Seriously, Simon, you are starting to worry me.
Post 15, from focus on focus.
Did you or did you not post this?

The spider's web right under where the spiders mouth/head area would be is in focus -- I say would be because we can't see it and the area is in shadow. There's no way you would intentionally focus there.

The chameleon misses by a long shot, look at the flickr version. Actually on this photo the point of focus is very near to the spine which I think is about a half inch from the eye in relation to the focal plane.

Inevitably people will ask about my photography etc and try and spin this round. I'm a graphic designer not a photographer. I've been looking at images and design every day and night for about 18 years. Photography is a hobby to me not my profession.

A few years ago, when most of the stock photos we bought and used derived from film, this was never an issue. Now that most stock art is digital we find this all the time.
 
okay - one of the useful tips I'd share is to make sure you've got a clean background , and don't have lots of branches in the frame - unless you can completely blow them out with bokeh just rendering them a little oof with dof doesn't work

this is an absolutely classic example of a shot that could have been good ruined by sloppy composition

3675-1396263681-f8f4147ec02ea65f595bd2151b9d3ca2.jpg


shooting from a little further left would have put the bird solidly against a green background and avoided having its head bisected by the branch - it would also have avoided the branch at bottom left. - so close and yet so far

Gets my vote for post of the day. Useful and concise.

Orphan image I presume?
 
You know what, Gordon, if I thought for a moment you were being genuine, I might well like to do that. It's a shame that I can not take you at face value - most of the time on here, I would be more than happy to do that because most of the members are people I would love to interact with on pretty much any level. Some of your more reasonable comments make complete sense to me.

So, joking aside, thank you for the offer. I will decline for the moment. :)

I said something reasonable? Lol. You hear that everybody? Mr reasonable... I like being reasonable.
 
Nonsense, I have shots of it with an entirely soft background, I prefer ones like that where you see the environment it lives in. And I'm not the only one.

The photo lacks sharpness but that wasn't a failing as such, it's just down to bad light. Also, I was zoomed in as far as I could go and in a fixed position... You can't exactly roam around framing shots with kingfishers.

Nope but you can think about composition and framing when you set your hide up - and as to the various excuses, I thought you didn't want poor photos to be excused for any reason - after all we don't "do you any favours when we tell you that a shot that's crap isn't" do we - it "won't help you learn" after all, and you'll just go through life as "a hopelessly inept photographer."

Environmental is great - but you still need to think about composition , other wise its just a record shot

this blunt and honest business isn't so much fun when it's your photo in the spotlight is it ?
 
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