What Do I Do Before Pressing The Shutter Button?

"I Should Be Out There!" is what I think he is thinking. (click to enlarge)
This is an example of moving to just the right spot to ensure the composition was just how I wanted it.  I wanted separation
between the man and chair, between the chair and umbrella, between the swimmers and sand and the man's head not
intersecting with the horizon.  I think this image succeeds only because I captured this man's body position.  Any other
position and I probably wouldn't have made it.
Nikon D200; 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 lens @ 82mm (123mm~); 1/180th sec. @ f/8; ISO 100

When I first spot something that is of visual interest to me and something of which I would consider making a photograph, there is the little mental and procedural routine I have practiced for years.  I'm one of those photographers who is pretty finicky about composition.  It seems I tend to want my compositions, for the most part, exactly so.

I press the shutter only after I:

a) look very closely at the overall scene before me, i.e., really "see" it for all its potential, details and nuances,

b) walk around a bit to get a feel for what I can see from different perspectives and angles,

At this point I decide on basically what it is I want to include in my image, what the camera position will be and if there are multiple potential compositions.  Then, after looking through my viewfinder, I

c) look at all four edges and corners of my frame for unwanted objects or intrusions of things that pull one's eye away from the main subject, 

d) check the background for anything that is distracting to the main subject which can be improved by shallower depth of field or slight change of the camera position (for example, the classic telephone pole growing out of someone's head or an object in the background that needs to be out of focus so it doesn't compete with my main subject), 

e) move up/down/left/right/backward/forward to get the exact composition and perspective I want (ex., something that needs to be above or below the horizon line but not at the horizon) and keep a  little bit of separation or air space between important objects. Also, remember that zooming in or out is only cropping, not changing perspective, and

f) then when everything looks pleasing to my eye I press the shutter.  

Most of this takes very little time and quickens with practice.  However, it can also take quite a bit of time if you really dive deeply into a complex scene before you.  There are times when I just can't find a satisfactory composition and I walk away.  Yes, it happens.  I don't feel compelled to press the shutter button all of the time.

There are exceptions to this little routine.  When things are moving quickly I still mostly go through the same mental routine, even if in an abbreviated manor.  As you practice this it becomes second nature and almost automatic.  So when there is a fast moving scene, you automatically go into this mental routine without even consciously trying.

One other aspect of this routine is if your subject is moving you still may have time to anticipate where your subject will be and quickly move to a position where your subject will best be positioned.  You then choose the exact time to press the shutter as your subject moves into the anticipated place.

The image above is an example of seeing something interesting, quickly moving back/forth/left/right/up/down to get the composition just how I wanted it.  This took less than 5 seconds. I clearly remember, in this case, quickly moving forward then to the left to capture it.  I was only able to make one shot before he changed his body position.  

For full disclosure, there was some cropping of the original image as were some things I removed in Photoshop that couldn't be eliminated through carefully composing.  When I pressed the shutter, I already knew I would have to crop and remove them and that, too, influenced where I positioned myself. 

Just thought I would share this with you.  Hope it helps.

Join me over at Instagram @dennisamook or my website, www.dennismook.com. 

Thanks for looking. Enjoy! 

Dennis A. Mook 

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