I am starting to realize how in camera composition is so key. While there is a lot you can do in post-processing, you can loose some strength in the image if you leave it to later. If you look at the picture below, you will notice that my alignment with the sign/horizon is off. If I had noticed it while looking through the viewfinder, I could have easily leveled off the sign edge so that it was parallel with the bottom of the frame. When I completed editing the image, I had to crop out some of the plane and sign. While I still really like the shot, I would have liked a little more of the plane and the sign. The final image is above and the un-cropped image is below.
On a side note, I took this picture while watching planes land with my kids. I focused on the sign so that the plane would be out of focus in the background. The big win with this is it was my second composition. I was able to see where the shots might come from before I took them. I only took 4 shots of the plane, with the second one being the one to keep. The overall goal is to take less shots, more of which are worth keeping.
Great bit Kev. Though it is sad to me that composition is something we need to remind ourselves of these days. In camera is all I aim for. If I have to crop at all I feel like I’m cheating, though I do occasionally.
They actually teach people now-a-days, because of the ease of digital, to shoot in bursts and pick the best shots. Wedding photographers come as close to shooting video as the still function on their camera allows. THOUSAND*S* of shots. Easily. In my opinion, if I can’t get good shots out of 500… I’m doing a really bad job.
Do it RIGHT the first time & spend less time in front of the computer & more time out taking pictures.
Your shots are fantastic.
Very nice final result.