How do you practise spotting better compositions?

[myotis]

I did, and I did take note. However maybe I struggle because of my aphantasia, i.e. I can’t make mental images

Does being able to see the picture on the rear screen not help? I admit to knowing nothing about aphantasia.

I use my mobile phone with an app I can't remember the name of, to explore multiple viewpoints and compositions at different focal lengths before putting up my tripod and selecting which lens to put on.

 

[myotis]

Yes! But only if you take the time to actually study your mistakes & thing about what works and what doesn't. Blindly repeating mistakes won't help.

One of the things I got from learning physical skills (acrobatics, juggling) to a high level as an adult; I learned how to learn. Kids do it intuitively and have more time; most adults need to put concentrated effort in.

Similarly, I don't see a downside from learning from others who've been down the path already. Reading books can't do any harm and may provide invaluable shortcuts.

Blindly repeating the "same" mistakes certainly won't help. They say that is the difference between rats and human beings. In lab experiments involving electric shocks, rats learn far more quickly than human beings to avoid repeating the actions that give them electric shocks.

I agree with your other points.

 

[myotis]

Contact sheets are also informative into a photographer's way of thinking. Although not something that exists to any great extent these days - but why I don't delete all my 'near misses'.

I used to print out the equivalent of contact sheets from all my digital files and store them in a binder until it became too costly.

But coincidentally, last week I started to look at how I could set up QImage to start doing this again. There is something rather special about scanning contact sheets.

 

[Phil V]

I’m absolutely convinced that whilst some people definitely have a better ‘eye’ for composition than others (I’m not bad but my wife is better), it’s certainly possible to learn.

Unfortunately some people prickle whenever ’rules’ are mentioned, but the truth of the matter is that studying any imagery will lead you to see what makes a successful image ‘tick’.

I’m one of those ‘left brain’ photographers, which means I’ll never create a masterpiece, no chance of competition winning, jaw dropping, or awesome images from me.

However, I can ‘see’ a photo, I can take a decent photo consistently with little apparent effort. But I do understand light, colour and the geometric rules that create pleasing compositions. So I’m not saying I’m just ‘photographing by numbers’ but that I’m hard wired now to know how my position, focal length, aperture etc affect an image.

 

[snerkler]

Does being able to see the picture on the rear screen not help? I admit to knowing nothing about aphantasia.

Aphantasia is the inability to create mental images, i.e. you don't have a mind's eye. I can obviously see images that are there, but for example if you asked me to close my eyes and make a mental image of the Eifel Tower, or a Tiger, or a member of my family etc I can't.

I wonder if that's why I can't visualise an image before taking the photo so it's more of a case of take the photo, see what it's like. Of course it's not quite shooting blind, but I can't visualise the image I want and then say "ok I need to take the shot from here, framing it in this way". It's more of a case of something like, "I know shooting it from a lower angle sometimes gives a better perspective so I'll try it and see what it's like".

I’m absolutely convinced that whilst some people definitely have a better ‘eye’ for composition than others (I’m not bad but my wife is better), it’s certainly possible to learn.

Unfortunately some people prickle whenever ’rules’ are mentioned, but the truth of the matter is that studying any imagery will lead you to see what makes a successful image ‘tick’.

I’m one of those ‘left brain’ photographers, which means I’ll never create a masterpiece, no chance of competition winning, jaw dropping, or awesome images from me.

However, I can ‘see’ a photo, I can take a decent photo consistently with little apparent effort. But I do understand light, colour and the geometric rules that create pleasing compositions. So I’m not saying I’m just ‘photographing by numbers’ but that I’m hard wired now to know how my position, focal length, aperture etc affect an image.

I've no idea which sided brain I am but this bit in bold is how I approach photography.

 

[myotis]

Aphantasia is the inability to create mental images, i.e. you don't have a mind's eye. I can obviously see images that are there, but for example if you asked me to close my eyes and make a mental image of the Eifel Tower, or a Tiger, or a member of my family etc I can't.

I wonder if that's why I can't visualise an image before taking the photo so it's more of a case of take the photo, see what it's like. Of course it's not quite shooting blind, but I can't visualise the image I want and then say "ok I need to take the shot from here, framing it in this way". It's more of a case of something like, "I know shooting it from a lower angle sometimes gives a better perspective so I'll try it and see what it's like".

I can understand the mental image bit and indeed since posting looked it up, but I think you possibly overestimate how much mental visualisation the rest of us can do.

In the film days, we used 5x4 Polaroid backs to generate instant prints to help refine exposure, lighting, and composition.

I actively need to explore different viewpoints and compositions. I don't actually take pictures, but I will move my mobile phone or camera into different positions, and then while looking at the screen, study it the same way as I would study it if I had a print. The only 'mind's eye' part of this process is visualising the picture on the phone/camera screen, as a print on my wall.

There is a reason why photographers refer to "working the scene" because you need to physically try out different angles and viewpoints to find out which one's work the best. In the old days you would actually take pictures, so that the client could make the final decision on which view/composition worked best.

Today, we have a choice: we can see what is happening with playback and decide which views/compositions we like best, or we can actually take the pictures and look at them back home.

I'm not advocating a spray and pray approach, as I still think every picture you take should be made with intent and thoughtfulness, but from a learning point of view, actually exposing your most likely keepers to review on the computer (or even better, as prints) is useful.

You may already know all this/thought about it, but I'm just trying to come up with some ideas.

I've no idea which sided brain I am but this bit in bold is how I approach photography.

 

[Ed Sutton]

I've no idea which sided brain I am but this bit in bold is how I approach photography.

Hasn't the left brain/right brain thing been debunked?

 

[myotis]

Hasn't the left brain/right brain thing been debunked?

Yes

 

[BillN_33]

Has anyone mentioned this

Henri Cartier-Bresson, The Decisive Moment (new edition) - Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson

Henri Cartier-Bresson, The Decisive Moment (new edition) - Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson

www.henricartierbresson.org

 

[snerkler]

I can understand the mental image bit and indeed since posting looked it up, but I think you possibly overestimate how much mental visualisation the rest of us can do.

In the film days, we used 5x4 Polaroid backs to generate instant prints to help refine exposure, lighting, and composition.

I actively need to explore different viewpoints and compositions. I don't actually take pictures, but I will move my mobile phone or camera into different positions, and then while looking at the screen, study it the same way as I would study it if I had a print. The only 'mind's eye' part of this process is visualising the picture on the phone/camera screen, as a print on my wall.

There is a reason why photographers refer to "working the scene" because you need to physically try out different angles and viewpoints to find out which one's work the best. In the old days you would actually take pictures, so that the client could make the final decision on which view/composition worked best.

Today, we have a choice: we can see what is happening with playback and decide which views/compositions we like best, or we can actually take the pictures and look at them back home.

I'm not advocating a spray and pray approach, as I still think every picture you take should be made with intent and thoughtfulness, but from a learning point of view, actually exposing your most likely keepers to review on the computer (or even better, as prints) is useful.

You may already know all this/thought about it, but I'm just trying to come up with some ideas.

Interesting, thanks. I did assume that people have a vision in mind and then take the shot accordingly.

 

[Brentor]

I don’t have Aphantasia but whether my mental images are better or worse than other people, who knows. If you have aphantasia does it does mean that you cannot form images in your dreams.

I don’t have the eye when it comes to composition and do not see an image in my mind before taking a photo. I will try to find what I consider the best view etc but I am guilty at times of just taking a snap. I’m not convinced that you can learn to have the eye. I have improved over the years but I don’t rate myself as anything other than average.