Are You Looking Or Seeing Through Your Viewfinder Or LCD?

Early Spring Scene in Colonial Williamsburg (click to enlarge)
Nikon D800E, Nikon 28-300mm lens @ 70mm; ISO 200; 1/800th sec. @ f/8

When you look through your viewfinder, or if you don't use a viewfinder, at your LCD on the back of your camera, are you just looking or are you really seeing what is and is not there?

Have you ever returned home from an important family or other event, after making images of friends or family members and, when looking at your photographs, discovered the proverbial telephone pole sticking out of the head of one of them?

Or, do your friends and family members have "raccoon" eyes due to deep shadows that you didn't see?

Have you ever traveled somewhere you always wanted to go and, upon your return home, looked at your photographs and they just didn't turn out the way you wanted due to all kinds of things in the frame that you didn't realize were there?

How many images have been ruined because the photographer didn't really see what was in their viewfinder or LCD screen before pushing the shutter button?

Are you really seeing light and shadow placement and how it will affect your image?

Have you ever looked at your images after coming home and found them badly flared, which could have been avoided by moving a step or two to the right or left?

Are you seeing what may be in the corners of your frame that is intruding into your image?

Are you seeing if convergence of subjects is affecting your image?

Are your checking to ensure your horizon is straight?

Are you closely seeing the depth of your subject matter to determine what should and should not be in focus so you can adjust your depth of field for best results?

Have you through through your selected shutter speed to ensure you really get the effect you want, whether totally stopping action, leaving a little blur in a moving subject or lots of blur as with a waterfall?  Have you tested shutter speeds before taking that once in a lifetime photo?

Are you seeing the patterns that exist and making sure you emphasize or de-emphasize those patterns as will look better?

Are you seeing any trash or other objects that may be impacting your image?

I could go on and on, but you get my point.  Don't just look through the viewfinder or at the rear LCD, see what is and is not in there.  Then make necessary adjustments to your physical position, your camera's position, your depth of field, your shutter speed, etc. to get the image you really want.  Think, think, think.  Don't be sorry later.

Thanks for looking.  Enjoy!

Dennis Mook

Many of my images can be found at www.dennismook.com.  Please pay it a visit.  I add new images regularly.  Thank you.

All content on this blog is © 2013-2015 Dennis A. Mook.  All Rights Reserved.  Feel free to point to this blog from your website with full attribution.  Permission may be granted for commercial use.  Please contact Mr. Mook to discuss permission to reproduce the blog posts and/or images.