My Golden Photography Rule
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- Опубликовано: 10 сен 2022
- #naturephotography #landscapephotography
My golden photography rule without a shadow of a doubt is to listen to my inner voice. The voice that I have come to trust over many years of being a photographer. When it comes to deciding whether to shoot an image, or to simply walk away I urge you to follow this golden rule and trust your instinct. Occasionally, the instinct does fail me and it can take me a little while longer for the penny to drop when something isn't working out. In this video, my golden rule is put to the test on three images.
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Oh Simon, your third imagine was absolutely gorgeous - definitely a fiver. Lovely composition with a beautiful painterly quality redolent of a Dutch renaissance master. Without doubt one of the better photographers on You Tube. Thank you.
That's extremely kind of you. A number of people have made the painting observation.
Last photo with the rowan tree berrie is like a painting. Very beautyful.
A number of people have made this same observation. Thank you.
My inner voice gets me moaned at loads of times...out on walks mrs will say that scene looks lovely, photo it. But I know there isn't a composition...yes, it is beautiful to our eyes, but the camera shows things differently.
Very true Paul. I have the same said to me!
I would definitely give that last image a '5'.
Cheers Al
I like the way you find beauty where most people would just walk past. These films are definitely helping me to train my eye. Thank you. Loved the last image.
That last image turned out to be brilliant. I admit I was skeptical until I saw the final version!
The textures were lovely I thought. That leaf still bothers me though :-)
That last image was a beauty , lovely warm tones and the detail is stunning
Many thanks Andrew
That third image ...a classic!
Loved number 3. You are a joy to Listen to and to learn from. Thanks so much!!
Awe thanks Becky
Catching up after an off the scale crazy couple of weeks and this was just the ticket for a quiet half-hour. My inner voice if so often wrong in that I think the image is going to be a cracker, but at home, it doesn't stack up. However, I would rather bag the image and ditch it later than miss the gem that didn't look amazing in the field, which does occasionally happen. Thanks for sharing Simon, a joy to watch as always.
Cheers Steve and so sorry for missing this comment. It completely passed me by. Pleased anyway that it helped you chillax a little.
The rowan berry picture is soooo beautiful! The berries look like miniature apples.
Thank you for watching
I love how you can switch focus from a bigger scene to the intimate details. I so often wander my local woods focused on the larger scene and coming away empty handed or disappointed. Intimate details is something I really need to work on.
It's a joy when you start to see them.
Simon, see what you meant about the stalks, the third shot is superb. Now to the first shot, I liked it, it was a summer shot with saturated greens and yellow undertones. I don't always want to see moody, misty, or foggy. I want to be reminded of summer when it's winter. A woodland in high summer with its thick lush canopy, between the hours of 11am and 1pm with the sun at its brightest and the colours at their most saturated, streams of light pinpointing various heaven sent opportunities. Still, it wouldn't do if we were all the same. We should all be taking shots that please ourselves first and foremost.
Absolutely Ian I have friends that hate seeing water as a long exposure blur, but so many photographers use it. As you say!
Wow, that last image is stunning, the colours look like they come from an old masters still life. Not that I'm calling you old Simon!
I would love to see how you processed this image.
Thanks Mike. A few others have made the same observation. It's a lovely thought indeed. In truth, the image had very little done to it, beyond adjusting the black and white points and a soft vignette.
Simon, you are an inspiration, where I see leaf litter, you see beauty. The second shot reminded me of the party trick that I had as a boy, of floating a pin on the surface tension of a glass of water. Thanks as always.
That's very kind of you Ian.
14:00 "Would I hang it on my wall" is one benchmark, but another could be "Will I learn sth from taking the image and processing it?" And sometimes this is exactly why I take some (analogue) images. Taking notes is important in this case.
We all have our own approach to learning. I tend to go with my first gut instinct, but of course, it's whatever works best for the individual.
I like the last image a lot. Thank you.
As usual, an excellent film. Have you tried flipping the final image upside down? That leaf you don't like is then a "table" for the berries instead of weighing them down. Just a thought.
I find it's size and shape too distracting in any position really. I can't seem to see past that on this occasion.
Simon - can I thank you for the inspiration you gave me this past summer to get out into my local nature with my border terrier Dexter and my camera and macro lens to look for the small things at our feet. Dexter usually finds my subjects while rooting around in the undergrowth!
I'm disabled with limited mobility and my days of hiking to landscape locations are over. But your videos have given me a renewed love of macro and nature photography.
Your weekly videos are up there with Monty Don's Gardeners World for instantly calming me down 🙂
thank you 🙂
Fancy that, thank you. I'm glad that they help and bring such relief. Give Dexter a pat and a doggy treat from me.
Simon, the third image is absolutely the top. Good find! 🙂
Thanks Wim. The colours came out well.
Thanks Simon, I like the berry shot the best.
Me too.
Thank you Simon - I love the leaves with the berries. The detail in the leaves is beautiful and the berries add that pop of colour.
Many thanks for watching Louise
Simon, I could see you capturing the first scene with better atmospherics (although I like the light on the ferns in the lower left corner). My favorite is your third image. Particularly like the texture and tone - excellent ! Thanks for sharing!
Yes that third image was the shot of the day for me.
Your videos have made me look around and focus on simple things which i would have otherwise ignored. It opened my eyes to a whole new world. Thank you.
You are very welcome
It's instructive to hear you criticising or rejecting potential compositions. It's something I wish I was better at - I tend to shoot anyway, just in case, and inspect via the pc, before ditching most of them at the Wall Hurdle.
Theres a great deal to like in your third - the detail and textures at the beginning of your close up sequence particularly, but I agree - that big leaf is disproportionate. I would probably have taken several shots with different framing, especially rotation in this case. Do you ever go to such lengths "behind the scenes"?
Hi David, thanks for your assessment. In answer to your question, I don't , I let instinct drive the composition. There was another comment on the rotation, which I have since considered but don't think works for me.
Great reminders - I did like those two images that were more intimate from the floor. There’s something in the colour pallet of both those images that I really enjoyed.
I certainly liked the last
I admire your ability to find the diamonds in the rough. I especially liked the berries shot. I tend to agree with your stance on taking the shot as is. I would not say that I ever stage a scene but I am not above improving my lie. I might very well have removed the offending leaf.
We each have our thresholds and I do move things like bit's of dead grass. I just felt this one went beyond that on this occasion.
I'm still training my inner voice. Fine video, Simon. Thanks for posting it.
I would just be guided by instinct and see how it goes. Those first few seconds are important.
VERY inspirational Simon. I take away so much from your videos. Mostly it highlights my own inadequacies but it also inspires me to try harder. One of the best photo vloggers imho
Thank you so much. Stick with it 🙏
Excellent. I admire your search for perfection and so much of what you said today resonates with me. I do think we "feel" when an image is right, but very good to hear you analyse what it is that makes or breaks a scene.
Thanks for you thoughts Fiona. Glad you enjoyed the film and found it valuable.
I love the composition of the first and I hope you can do a video of returning there in different conditions to show us its full potential. The second image, I like the idea, but I agree with about the stems. And the last image, I’m also not sure about the leaf you didn’t much like.
Thanks for watching and commenting. Those trees were quite a trek for me and i'm not sure I'm convinced of the return journey. I found a lovely composition in my latest film, which I will return to.
Thank you for providing such informative videos. You are alway teaching me techniques to be more observant when I go out. Thank you again for doing what you do.
Thanks to you Luis.
Simon I agree that your 3rd image was just beautiful. Intimate landscapes are something hard to learn for me and this was just inspiring. Thank you
They are a joy to find. Thank you.
Hi Simon. I love that you can find art in the small details. It inspires me when I can't go far afield, to look close at what is near at hand. Thanks
A slow pace and an inquisitive mind is all that it takes.
Always look forward to your videos Simon!
Thanks Neil
Always an honest self assessment of your own work Simon. As photographers or indeed any type of artist we can all learn from continually listening to our inner voice, separating wishful thinking from ego.
Cheers Tom, I appreciate your thoughts.
Wow Simon, the detail in image 3 is stunning. Looks like an old master still life. Love it!
I'm amazed how many people have said this?
Though you managed to knock it out of the park AGAIN with the last two images, I have to say, it was absolutely refreshing to watch you struggle a bit for once 😁
You're an inspiration, keep it on !
Thanks for the thoughts. Struggling is part of the fun and comes with tracking the really great ones down. It's sometimes a bit frustrating when you have a video to make.
Your last shot of the berries in the leaves, you are right that it is not a 5 because of that one open leaf. However, in my opinion, it is very close to a 5. I might frame this and put it on my wall!
Thanks Greg. I am fond of that image, but I haven't look at it since, which speaks volumes to me.
Thought provoking and useful. Thank you, sir. Each of the images (along with your commentary) prompted further thinking, so thank you. Enjoy (what's left of) your weekend.
Glad you liked it Barry.
The first image will be fantastic with a bit of mist but I kept looking at the valley beyond because that's my thing. I thought that the other two images would work in portrait better than landscape. Nice place, a classic rocks in the water would be interesting.
I felt the valley was a distraction that mist will remove.
Hey Simon, Love that last image buddy. Once again... looks like it was shot in a studio with 6000K lights form the left hand side. You di these so well! Love the pace of this too! Nice!
Cheers buddy. I'm more than ready for your next instalment.
@@SimonBoothPhotography - yeah, its been a while. I have just come back from a weather challenging workshop, where i was to have done some content, but was rained off and rather frustrating. have a three minute intro filmed, but just need to work out.. 'what is the video gonna be about'!? LOL
Stunning images, nicely edited and put together, well done
Thank you
Very nice, Simon. The last pic was the shot of the day for me.
I agree completely Kerry.
Stunning photographs as always, Simon... wow!
Glad you like them Tom
Loved the shot with leaves and berries the only drawback for me was the even number of berries
And I thought I was fussy :-)
Very nice images Simon. As i said before, what i really learned from your videos is looking around me when hiking. And taking the time...
Slowing down is an important one. It's one of the reasons that I stopped hiking with others. I missed so much.
Thank you Simon, inspirational as ever.
Thanks Chris
Excellent advice on a challenging day at your office! The last image has worked remarkably well with the treatment you have given it in post. Thank you.
Thanks Charles. The image had very little done to it, beyond adjusting the black and white points and a soft vignette.
Simon, once again, another great video. I like how you talked us through the composition of that first image...I was so drawn to those black trunks and the light behind...Image #2 was quite nice, and Image #3 was STUNNING! I do love how you are in this huge forest and you find the intimate beauty that is so often overlooked! Always a reminder to pay attention and go with your intuition.
It pays to look at your feet Valerie. I tend to have to remind myself to look up more. Glad you liked that third one.
We have very similar woodland over here too. Good film Simon and plenty to think about
Cheers Ian. I will look forward to seeing what you produce over the autumn...no pressure :-)
Thank you
Fully agree with you the images this time stand out as illustration are the first two. The third image is very nice! The leave is less an issue as I expected. Great to hear your considerations!
Thanks Andius for your thoughts
I like👍 that second shot.
Cheers Terry
Inspiring. Stuff I normally just walk past makes great photos!
Thank you
Great photos. The berry one is superb 😃
Thanks Gary
I comment - a bit - on your imagery. I live in Australia, and if you were going to exclude days of bright sunlight, and you are as lazy as I am, you would hardly ever push the button. I like them all. Sometimes harsh sunlight gives amazingly dark backgrounds which allow a photographer to highlight the focal point of an image, think inky black backgrounds,. Thanks again for getting me to think about the things I photograph.
Thanks for the comment 🙏
Great video topic on picking out and making final decision with composition choices, would be very interested for you to do a tutorial on how you post processed the final stacked image.
Thanks Roger. I may do that if enough people ask.
I'm not sure I have an inner voice. But maybe that's a question of terminology. In the film era I often considered whether an image was worth taking. But in this digital age it's different.
By the way, although I do know the arguments for preferring overcast weather, I just love sunshine! To my eyes the landscape with those oaks just looked so gorgeous. And I loved the contrast between the big straight oak and the smaller less straight ones. Maybe I just don't understand photography, but I really don't think I'd care for less sunshine.
They did look nice I agree, but the contrast is very difficult to handle in post processing. To the eye, they looked beautiful.
Hi Simon loved the last image would agree that other images needed better conditions
It's just how it goes isn't it.
I have really enjoyed your videos. Today's reminded me of my typical experience when I go out to make photographs. I really appreciate seeing your whole process and the way you work through getting a composition that pleases you. Very helpful to me. I look forward to many more. Thank you for taking the time and significant effort of make these for us. This is my favorite subscription!
Couldn't agree more. Thank you for such a helpful video and the critical appraisal; so very helpful (as always).
Cheers, that's extremely kind of you to say.
Thank you Jonathon
Nice work Simon. My favourite is the Rowan berries. Rodders 👍
It was certainly the best of the bunch.
Hi Simon you really had a tough time with the light but it was worth it to explore the woodland and the last photo was brilliant the one with the trees would be beautiful with better conditions. Thank you for sharing your video
Thanks for watching and commenting John
As always, I enjoy your thoughtful and detailed walkthrough of your images. For this video, I found it interesting to hear why your setups were not working. How many times do we work at a composition to find it is lacking an essential element? I loved the post processing you did on the last image. I’d hang it on my wall. 😉 Thanks for sharing another great video.
Thanks Shaun. Perhaps there's value in videos that show why images don't work.
I was thinking why doesn’t he move the leave! in the final shot. When I saw your processed image I think the dominant leave adds to the scene and I love the photo. I really like your approach to nature photography and calm relaxed personality.
Thank you Martin, glad you like the pace of the films
Lovely walkabout, Simon. That third image is a corker! So detailed. BTW, I’ve pared my Pentax kit way down to just two bodies and five lenses as I continue my transition to Sony (doing so much more video work now).
Oh nooooooo! The dark side :-)
I love to photograph trees in the forest has we say here in America but your leaves & berries photos were outstanding,almost a painterly effect ,something I try to create with each landscape photo.Thank u for sharing your art with us,much appreciated!
Awe thanks Marilyn
Thank you for showing your thought pattern, some thoughts seem familiar, some are new, always great to learn from you ! .... Love that last image, I would give it a 4++ ;-) ....
Glad it was helpful Herbert
Hi Simon, yet another billiant and informative film. Thanks again. Would you be interested in making a film on the post production side of
the three images. I'm sure a lot of us would be very interested.
The last image had very little done to it, beyond adjusting the black and white points and a soft vignette. The first two had more done to them, but only to save them from the bin really. I have done a few editing tutorials but if I'm honest, I don't overly enjoy making them.
Love those Berries and Leaves, again your macro work is superb and an inspiration.
I do often wish the larger scenes would present themselves more often. The macro, as much as I like it, is always my fall-back plan. I find them easier to locate.
@@SimonBoothPhotography I'm the opposite way round. I often struggle to find a good close up composition.
I agree with your thoughts …… the first two didn’t really work, but I really liked the final image - the details in the textures were excellent - the tones of the image worked really well. I know that the inner voice is so often right ….. though if in doubt I will generally shoot as seeing the image on a large monitor enables me to see more clearly and I learn much from my (many!) mistakes!! Great video, thanks Simon!
It sometimes is the case that the larger view on a monitor or print can help make those final decisions. Thanks Grant.
Thank you Simon for explaining your process so thoroughly. Image #1 - so serene and lovely. Image #2 even though you were hesitant about this I still enjoyed it. Why? It is a true image of nature - even with what you perceived as flaws. And #3 is remarkable. The texture and colors are superb. Thanks for your efforts.
Thanks Carla. I wholly accept and embrace nature's flaws, but do avoid them in my photographs, unless of course the flaws are beautiful in their own right.
Hello Simon
The last image is realy great, but I like the first one. This says my inner voice :-).
It's always going to be subjective isn't it.
@@SimonBoothPhotography Yes it is :-). If it were not so, life would be boring ;-).
On the 3rd picture it definitely looked better in the finale view one the how it looked when looking at the view on the back of the camera. Great picture. When ever I’m out and see leaves on the ground I always think about what would do to take the picture.
Yes, my LCD view never looks great. I could do with a camera that takes video.
Absolutely love your work and always look forward to your postings. Have you ever done anything with luminosity masks. I ask because you are a good teacher.
I haven't done any videos though I do occasionally use them. I ten to struggle putting tutorial videos together for some reason.
Thanks Simon good film. All 3 images were interesting and worth taking IMO. We don’t get to 4s and 5s unless we experiment and practice with 3s. I spend time on some images because one aspect really appeals despite the fact that there other issues with it …then i find a different composition in post and I have something that I really like.
I suppose a lot of it is down to the time you have to play with.
Cheers.
Thanks Steve. We all go about it differently don't we.
Great video, new sub from West Sussex, do you ever 'rearrange' leaves etc for a better shot?
Thanks for the sub. If you get around to watching some of my older videos, you will see that generally don't. I will remove bits of things to tidy the shot up, but that's all.
I can see the quandary on ash leaf; I could go either way. However, the berries have it- I would have quite thrilled to have taken that shot! Sadly, my inner voice would have been silent on that one. It's a work in progress. Sigh.
Stick at it Robert. Enjoy the ride.
Thanks for your comments regarding the images. It is useful to know and see the weaknesses in compositions. Not everything in life is a five. Eighty percent are not. So your scoring system is in agreement with the eighty - twenty rule-of-thumb. Keep your chin up, fall is just around the corner.
Certainly not everything but it's great fun seeking them out.
Simon, thought provoking content. I am still struggling to find that directive inner voice. I still capture way too much and then try and filter it in post. I liked you rating system and agree, the first image is less then a 3. But I think image #2 is a 3+ and image #3 is at least a 3.5 to a 4. As always, really enjoy your thoughtfulness and look forward to your next offering. As always, keep snapping!
Thanks Alan. Just go with that first thought and you won't go far wrong.
My inner voice usually says, "pixels are free, go ahead and shoot it, and look at it on the computer later. I have poor eyesight, and sometimes cannot judge an image based its initial look, or how it looks on the camera's LCD screen.
Perhaps my message wasn't well put. It's about knowing when to move on and invest your time better on more compelling subjects or scenes.
@@SimonBoothPhotography Lots of great content. I always enjoy your "films"!
your third image is definitivly a star image
Thank you so much.
The first image is a lovely composition. As you say needs better atmosphere. I quite like the second and the stalks are not to jarring to me. The third is a really nice image. The big leaf is a bit too big for the shot, but as you say, that is how it is.
I don’t have an inner voice, so have lots of shots on my Mac that I shouldn’t have taken. Maybe I should listen harder ;-)
Just to be clear Tony, I don't hear voices :-)
I should think the 2.5 and 3 star compositions are helpful because the discipline of composition includes accounting for so many elements, so that even when you're composing a mediocre or average photograph, the skill of composition improves when you say, "and this is in it that shouldn't be," and again "this necessary element is absent." Thanks for the detailed walkthrough, and the walk through the forest. (member comment)
That's a very valid point David. Thanks for the reminder.
The 1st image will look fantastic in Autumn on a sunrise. I do enjoy your reasons why not to take an image. I can see what you mean about that leaf it does stand out compared to the rest of the leaves. Some great inspiration tho.
Cheers Sean. It's a shame the location is a bit far away from home. I don't feel it's worth the trek just for that one scene.
@@SimonBoothPhotography Yeah makes sense. There is a good few locations that I would love to revisit at certain times but the distance can be a bit much.
Hi simon I do respect your rule in not moving items from composition but if moving one leaf to move the shot from 3 to a 5 and the fact the leaf has fallen to floor so moving causes no damage to anything around it surely on this rare occasion it would be worth it cheers Les
Assuming I could be OK with it in this instance, the removal would have resulted in a space with nothing more satisfying beneath it. I think I’ll go with what nature provides because it’s this that catches my eye and not really a modified version of events. I do move bits of things but not anything that is essentially part of my initial attraction.
I looked at that last photo set up on the video and didn't think much of it. Then I saw the final production and thought wow! Well done. Is that how you saw it when you took it?
It is absolutely Tony. Why do you ask?
@@SimonBoothPhotography it looked so different on the camera's LCD screen via You tube via my computer screen, I guessed is all it was. But that view on the screen shot of the camera's LCD screen looked like the highlights were `wishy washy' (to use the technical term) and all the colours looked pale. The pale greens on the LCD screen seemed to disappear in the final print and the whole colour palette in the print became these deep rich browns that did not seem present on the camera's LCD. Even though they were `only browns' they were rich and beautiful in the print. I just didn't see it coming from what you were showing us on the back of the LCD screen and thought the camera LCD screen shot must have just got `lost in translation' so to speak by the time it gets to our computer screens. I just thought to look on the back of the camera's LCD screen in real life must be a much better experience than looking at it via You tube video compression. And I just couldn't imagine seeing the final print in my mind from the real life view on the camera's LCD screen and wondered if you just played around with it in post op until you found something you liked or if you knew exactly how it would look in the final print before you took it. If you did you're a genius. At least so it seems to me
I use a similar criterion, I.e. 3 or above to take out my camera :-) also because I also do wildlife I often compare if what I’m thinking of photographing has the potential to be better than the previous photo I have of that species. And some species do not interest me at all.
Yes, it's always worth improving on a shot, and this is particularly the case with wildlife images.
Great shots, but am i missing somthing, why not move the berries or leaves for that perfect shot ?
I will move small offending items but there’s a point where it feels too manufactured for me and always looks contrived. I like to record nature as I find it and I love looking for the perfect shot.
Such a beautiful image of the berries
Thanks Ed. You must be new here. Thank you.
@@SimonBoothPhotography I think I've been subscribed for a little while but never received notifications of your videos until lately so it's been a real pleasure catching up on your channel!
@@edphoto let’s hope RUclips is at last being a little nicer to the smaller channels.
Wish I had 10% of your composure judgement Simon, some day maybe
I haven't in so may other ways Terry
Third one is 5😮
Thanks Larry
Perfection is the enemy of very good.
Is very good, good enough?
concerning the leaves in the water, I think it would be ok if you cropped the right-hand side a bit more. The right-hand side is too distracting, in my opinion.
Yes, I really wasn't feeling that image. There's quite a lot wrong with it.
No 1 - so so for me Simom - No 2 Nah, sorry, No 3 yep, quite nice indeedy 🙂 cheers.
Cheers Mick
but what if you can't hear voices?
trust you and be patient maybe
Metaphorically speaking.
I am intrigued by the "private land" phenomenon that you have in the UK. How does it actually work? I mean in this video you are in the middle of the forest, and there are no dwellings to be found. In Sweden, you are allowed to go wherever you want and even to camp. As long as it's not in someone's garden. We call this "Allemansrätten". Unfortunately, the term cannot be translated into English as a word. Roughly, it means "The right of all people".
In some parts of the UK we have the right to roam but for the most part in England and Wales, there are landowners. These are farms and estates where for crops or shooting and fishing and they don't allow people on the land without permission or payment. In this case, there was a public right of way but you have to stick to the path.
The image at twenty six minutes ...
Did you change your shirt mid walk? Come on?
??