Improve your images by learning from your compositional mistakes

 

 

Have you ever come back from a photo trip and been frustrated by the images when you view them on your computer? In a new video, Nigel Danson has five tips to help you avoid disappointment the next time you go out to capture photos. While it can be frustrating to capture a bad shot, it can also be an important learning experience. You simply cannot always take good images, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t positives to be drawn from failed photos.

In the video below, we join Danson behind the scenes in the Faroes where he had hiked to get to a location for sunset. He was treated to some excellent light and a beautiful location, but as is sometimes the case, he didn’t feel that the images worked out. While it can be tempting to chalk up your losses and forget about it, you should instead consider Danson’s five-step workflow for improving your work. His tips are primarily focused on composition, which is one of the most important, but difficult, aspects of making a good image.

In one of his example images, he talks specifically about balance. While the scene looked good when he was shooting, upon closer inspection, the viewer’s eye doesn’t move around the scene in the way he wants. It’s important to keep your objective in mind at the time of capture, because sometimes a stronger composition is as simple as changing your focal length or pointing your camera slightly more toward one direction or another. There is a lot to consider when shooting, but by absorbing Danson’s tips in the video below, you can give yourself a better chance to come home with images you really enjoy.

(Via Nigel Danson)