Composition is probably the hardest thing to explain or "teach" in photography, but you did it brilliantly ;) I had a photography instructor who said something very similar to your second point about what to exclude, and he used an analogy that I like a lot: Photography is a bit like sculpting. The statue is already in the rock, the sculptor's job is to remove everything that's around it. Likewise in photography, the image is already out there, your job as a photographer is to remove everything around it.
Hi James, lots of great points here. I always have the rule of thirds grid set up on my camera, and phone as well. Comes in very handy for framing, and composition, nothing worse than a wonky horizon, ha.
James, nice to see ya smiling and that things are going well! I am reality new to photography and just wanted to add to the conversation two things that seem to work for me while shooting. This is an effort to simplify composition. First I alway shoot about a 10 to 20% larger photo so I can crop it back to just that perfect spot that will yield the best photo and reduce the distractions. I do not have to wait for the perfect shot, I just deal with most of the rule of thirds and such in post processing. Second, (and this is the biggest challenge) I try to get the subject as tack sharp as possible. This involves planning a bit ahead on what lens and settings will give me the desired effect. Last part involves getting the subject sharp! I do this by shooting A LOT of photos. I can never tell which one will work the best but if I look at 20 to 30 shots of the same thing, I am bound to capture something wonderful. I often can choose to do photo stacking and other things if I plan that ahead of time. Hope this helps, I am very thankful for the tips and the fun that is always on your channel. Your a great guy! Moonpie
I had an "ahhhhh that's it" moment when you explained the tip with giving subjects room to breathe when the composition is simple/clean and there are no distractions. I like to make my subject very clear in my photography, but I feel like this is something I was missing. Thanks!
Brill! A great introduction to a ridiculously difficult and probably infinite subject. And a great reminder to some of us old gits out there. Congratulations on the new book: If I wasn't so skint, I'd snap one up. Thanks, James.
Thank you for your mostly clear English. That gives me (German) a chance follow up your explanations. I like your analogies and comparisons to the daily live to explain photography effects or rules. Greetings from the Ruhr region.
My dear young man, you are a HOOT! Yes, your content is good, but your delivery is the best part! Now, about this video, I teach photography basics at a local community college. Mainly the class is full of 55+ individuals. I am likely to play parts of this video, as another way to think about composition. No one way of communicating is perfect (certainly not mine). Steller job! Oh, and, you are not alone on the cabin fever front, all it seems to do in Philadelphia, PA is rain, and rain, and rain some more.
Very ...sort of concise video on a difficult subject, from your perspective it makes it easier to know what to exclude and include. The Elephant in the room joke tho....so corny it was funny.
I love the analogy of fine dining and photography...I still have cluttered photos at times, primarily due to poor (or lack of) lens choice (not that I would necessarily be better with lots of lenses-still learning). Nice video.
love your comment on other forms of art are about adding while photography is more about subtracting. point of view that I hadn't thought of before but its great to help beginners understand. keep um coming James!
you are an amazing photoshooter. i like the boat and mountain one, super powerful and it's making me feel tiny about the world. and the dog is also the right time to press that shutter. great works.
You offer some of the best photography instruction around! I love how you share concepts that help me build a framework of strategies for approaching a scene when I'm out shooting. This is so much more useful than watching someone shoot or edit without describing the thought process behind it all. Thank you!
Thanks, James. I woke up this morning and thought...I should look into composition more. What does the trusty RUclips have to say. And what appears in my recommendations? Why your video of course. Thanks again.
@@JamesPopsysPhoto Ok, show me how you got the cat to pose on the wall outside your window towards the end of the video. I always thought training cats was difficult. Will your talents ever cease. ; )
@@JamesPopsysPhoto Im fairly new to photography...it would be xtra cool if you could maybe critique an image or 2 on my IG @robertjmedia...if not that's still cool with me 👍
I'm a beginner photographer and my first series isn't about story or subject, it's all focusing on light shapes and composition to train my eye. i'm a graphic designer so i have knowledge about composition and shapes and how much you leave in and what you leave out. When you start leaening graphic design you learn about the basic forms like shapes and lines and dots and how they work together, what do they mean and how do they feel, then you go on and learn color and so on, Step by step, means i think my approach in learning photography is the same, focus on the fundamentals to get a sense for it and go on to different generes and apply and experement from the basics. For example: buildings are great objects to start with, they have gemometric shapes and clear lines, so you just focus on their shapes and how the light hits them.
Another really useful video James, at times i struggle with composition and find that when i get back home and look at my work on Lightroom, i often think i should have left this or that out etc. Thanks again.
Great video James :) Maybe I should stop procrastinating and do some revision for my exams next week... but I just wanted to tell you that for my GCSE Graphic art project you were one of my inspirations and I did some pages about you and your work in my sketchbook and I managed to get a grade 9 in the project! So thank you for being such an inspiration!! :)
I was hoping you would be touching on the book. I look forward to that. Also, I wanted to ask you if you use your lenses full open sometimes. Seems like a lot of photographers say it will distort (for a better word) the edge of the picture. I have a G9 with an Olympus 12-40 lens f2.8. I use it at full open sometimes mostly inside shots, but maybe that's not good practice? Have you ever talked about your drone and what settings you shot with it? Some of those videos and shots of yours are amazing. Rlephant in the room jokes. Yup bad joke, but that's what brings everyone back to your videos. Keep making "bad" jokes.
Thanks so much for the support! I shoot wide open sometimes in bad light etc, but even in low light or when I want shallow DOF I try to stop down just a bit to help corner softness and vignetting 🙂
Again, a great video 😃👍🏻 Any „lecture“ on composition might also be advocating the use of prime lenses or „zooming with your feet“. Many photographers (including myself) have used and do use the zooming capabilities of their lenses as an excuse to be a little bit lazy. That’s not to say zoom lenses have no place, because that would be a stupid thing to say. I wouldn’t want to get rid of any of my zoom lenses at all. But getting physically close is often better than zooming in because it can create a more „intimate“ impression, depending on the subject. As a bonus, walking around instead of zooming also might yield other, perhaps more interesting angles. Yes, that is not always practical or possible for one reason or another. That is where zoom lenses really shine. You point out (and rightly so) that anything you have in your shot should have a purpose. I would extend that to what goes on „off camera“ as well. You know, as in „why do I want to zoom in? Can I get closer physically without endangering myself or disturbing the composition? If so, why not do it?“
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hoping you'd make that elephant joke :) Good job on the video, it's well thought out and I will be using your advice in both landscape and as far as possible in portrait photography as well. Till the next one :)
Very helpful ta very much! Particularly about the Rule Of Thirds, because I think I've been getting it wrong. I've got the grid set up on my camera but I've still been putting the main subject right in the centre of the frame instead of experimenting a bit where it might look better. I'll now be able to try it out! LOL By the way, I can relate to the 'Cabin Fever' thing in a big way!
James! Is your book available to buy digitally? This way you get money, AND you don't have to sign or mail me anything. Win/Win? Great channel, thank you for all your videos!
Hi im pretty new to your channel but I subbed becase your pretty entertaining and informative. I though this was a really helpfull video, thanks. I don't know if its something you would consiser but I'd really love to see something about how to find good images in an uninspiring location, or your own home town in which even the beauty spots lose appeal after a while.
An easier way to use the golden ratio is to remember the proportion 3:5, so it's a bit beyond on the first line of the rule of thirds. It looks better to the human eye because it represents the Fibonacci sequence, which is extremely common in nature, that's why the human brain accept it better as a composition
I kind of wish that camera manufacturers would enable the golden spiral as an option rather than just the rule of thirds grid to be visible in the EVF of the back LCD display. Not everyone wants to play tic-tac-toe.
I love negative space. It seems to be frowned upon by people that are sticklers for the rules. But it works. The dog photo is awesome, and that is great use of negative space. It gives room for the subject. I will continue to use negative space in my own work because that;s the way i like it (ah ha, ah ha) and I really don't care what others think of my work anyway as i shoot only for me. I would have bought a book but my car decided to eject £552 out of my wallet on a very expensive service. Now i'm broker than a very broke thing with broken broke bits.
I like to think of the rule of thirds and other photography rules more like a rule of thumb than a law. The same goes for that "You always want to keep your histogram right, not touching the left and not touching the right edges!" - Nope. If I want to shoot a silhoutette, I *want* that pitch black parts.
Your information is great. Your personality is great. Your video is almost great... Would be great if you're desk lamp wasn't shining right at the viewer.
![Chino Pacas - Modo Capone (with Drake & Fuerza Regida) [Video Oficial]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/zjv8TQ0gBkg/mqdefault.jpg)
Signing the books as fast as I can! They'll be on their way to you soon, thanks so much for your support and patience 🙂
James for your landscapes are you typically using the high res mode on the G9?
Love the book. What a great idea. Pride of place next to Ansel Adams on the bookshelf.
The best thing about your videos are the little bits of personality you have in them
Cheers Craig, that's so nice to hear 🙂
I agree!
That’s why I keep colony back haha. James is hilarious.
Composition is probably the hardest thing to explain or "teach" in photography, but you did it brilliantly ;)
I had a photography instructor who said something very similar to your second point about what to exclude, and he used an analogy that I like a lot:
Photography is a bit like sculpting. The statue is already in the rock, the sculptor's job is to remove everything that's around it.
Likewise in photography, the image is already out there, your job as a photographer is to remove everything around it.
Hi James, lots of great points here. I always have the rule of thirds grid set up on my camera, and phone as well. Comes in very handy for framing, and composition, nothing worse than a wonky horizon, ha.
Well said Derek :)
I bet Thanos would be good at photography
Perfectly balanced as all things should be
Imagine him with a tiny Sony a5100. Enough said.
"I'm still dressing like a child"
It's a life style I also subscribe to
I think we'll get on Michael 🙂👍🏻
@@JamesPopsysPhoto (never give up your underoos !!!)
Glad to see the shelf didn't fall off!
Still going strong...ish :)
First, glad to see the shelf is still holding. Second, great video. Lots of useful info, as a newbie to the photo world I really appreciate it.
Great to hear! Thank you 🙂
James, nice to see ya smiling and that things are going well! I am reality new to photography and just wanted to add to the conversation two things that seem to work for me while shooting. This is an effort to simplify composition. First I alway shoot about a 10 to 20% larger photo so I can crop it back to just that perfect spot that will yield the best photo and reduce the distractions. I do not have to wait for the perfect shot, I just deal with most of the rule of thirds and such in post processing. Second, (and this is the biggest challenge) I try to get the subject as tack sharp as possible. This involves planning a bit ahead on what lens and settings will give me the desired effect. Last part involves getting the subject sharp! I do this by shooting A LOT of photos. I can never tell which one will work the best but if I look at 20 to 30 shots of the same thing, I am bound to capture something wonderful. I often can choose to do photo stacking and other things if I plan that ahead of time. Hope this helps, I am very thankful for the tips and the fun that is always on your channel. Your a great guy!
Moonpie
Sounds like a great workflow! Thanks so much for the support 🙂
"Photography is about subtracting and simplifying" - really helpful thought. Thanks James.
I had an "ahhhhh that's it" moment when you explained the tip with giving subjects room to breathe when the composition is simple/clean and there are no distractions. I like to make my subject very clear in my photography, but I feel like this is something I was missing. Thanks!
Great to hear :)
Brill! A great introduction to a ridiculously difficult and probably infinite subject. And a great reminder to some of us old gits out there.
Congratulations on the new book: If I wasn't so skint, I'd snap one up.
Thanks, James.
Thanks Andy 🙂
Just now stumbled on your channel. Loved the “fine dining” correlation to photography.
Thank you for your mostly clear English. That gives me (German) a chance follow up your explanations. I like your analogies and comparisons to the daily live to explain photography effects or rules.
Greetings from the Ruhr region.
My dear young man, you are a HOOT! Yes, your content is good, but your delivery is the best part! Now, about this video, I teach photography basics at a local community college. Mainly the class is full of 55+ individuals. I am likely to play parts of this video, as another way to think about composition. No one way of communicating is perfect (certainly not mine). Steller job! Oh, and, you are not alone on the cabin fever front, all it seems to do in Philadelphia, PA is rain, and rain, and rain some more.
That's great to hear, thanks so much! And fingers crossed for some dry weather soon 🙂
Waffle away, love it. And the surprise cat appearance near the end, nice touch. Great as ever, thanks.
Cheers Jacob :)
"The elephant in the room"
What did I see that coming XD
Amazing video thank u!
Very ...sort of concise video on a difficult subject, from your perspective it makes it easier to know what to exclude and include. The Elephant in the room joke tho....so corny it was funny.
haha, thanks!
I see a 🐑! How exciting! And 🐈, what a nice bonus. Very well explained and useful information as always too.
Haha! Pride of place, good spot!
Yes! Can't wait for my book 👍
Thanks Mike! It'll be with you asap! 🙂
I love the analogy of fine dining and photography...I still have cluttered photos at times, primarily due to poor (or lack of) lens choice (not that I would necessarily be better with lots of lenses-still learning). Nice video.
Great to hear! I worried it was a bit too random 🙂
love your comment on other forms of art are about adding while photography is more about subtracting. point of view that I hadn't thought of before but its great to help beginners understand. keep um coming James!
Cheers Chris :)
you are an amazing photoshooter. i like the boat and mountain one, super powerful and it's making me feel tiny about the world. and the dog is also the right time to press that shutter. great works.
Thanks so much 🙂
This was the first video I saw of you here! Besides the super helpful tipps im blown away by your pictures! Subscribing right now!
Thanks so much mate :)
Get a raincoat and shoot! I've started to find I enjoy taking photos in the rain more than in good weather. You should give it a try.
My camera isn't weather sealed :(
I really love all your videos and the personal and honest aspect of them, they really inspire me on my photography journey.
You offer some of the best photography instruction around! I love how you share concepts that help me build a framework of strategies for approaching a scene when I'm out shooting. This is so much more useful than watching someone shoot or edit without describing the thought process behind it all. Thank you!
Thanks, James. I woke up this morning and thought...I should look into composition more. What does the trusty RUclips have to say. And what appears in my recommendations? Why your video of course. Thanks again.
Your wish is my command Steve! 🙂
@@JamesPopsysPhoto Ok, show me how you got the cat to pose on the wall outside your window towards the end of the video. I always thought training cats was difficult. Will your talents ever cease. ; )
They just want cold, hard cash! 🙂
Good stuff Mr P! Understandable you don't like not being outside, but personally, I like a few studio videos. It's like a nice chat over a cuppa :D
Ahh cheers Dean, great to hear :)
Great tips... thinking about photography as what to take away from what is already there is a perspective I never considered. Thanks James!
Great to hear Robert, thanks :)
@@JamesPopsysPhoto Im fairly new to photography...it would be xtra cool if you could maybe critique an image or 2 on my IG @robertjmedia...if not that's still cool with me 👍
Wonderful explanation of the rule of thirds
Thanks! :)
I'm a beginner photographer and my first series isn't about story or subject, it's all focusing on light shapes and composition to train my eye.
i'm a graphic designer so i have knowledge about composition and shapes and how much you leave in and what you leave out. When you start leaening graphic design you learn about the basic forms like shapes and lines and dots and how they work together, what do they mean and how do they feel, then you go on and learn color and so on, Step by step, means i think my approach in learning photography is the same, focus on the fundamentals to get a sense for it and go on to different generes and apply and experement from the basics.
For example: buildings are great objects to start with, they have gemometric shapes and clear lines, so you just focus on their shapes and how the light hits them.
One of your best, a great explanation of good composition.
Cheers Tom 🙂
Very useful video 🙂
Looking forward to my copy of the book 😊 hopefully it arrives before I go on vacation (to the UK no less 😅).
Cheers from Germany 🙂
Fingers crossed mate! Either way I hope you have a great time here - and it has stopped raining :)
Another really useful video James, at times i struggle with composition and find that when i get back home and look at my work on Lightroom, i often think i should have left this or that out etc. Thanks again.
I think this is the best video you've done that I have seen so far.
Cheers Ron :)
Good advice, James, and before your comment and the end about dressing like a child, I was thinking how much I liked your shirt!! LOL
haha, cheers John! Their on the Rab website :)
"The elephant in the room"... best line ever! Thank you for that.
Great vid. Its good to go back to the basics such as composition. With all the GAS around this gets overlooked
Great to hear :)
Very enjoyable and informative video. Thanks mate :)
Your videos are so entertaining while being super informative and helpful.
Perfectly imperfect explanations ;) Like!
Great video James :)
Maybe I should stop procrastinating and do some revision for my exams next week... but I just wanted to tell you that for my GCSE Graphic art project you were one of my inspirations and I did some pages about you and your work in my sketchbook and I managed to get a grade 9 in the project! So thank you for being such an inspiration!! :)
Thats amazing to hear Olivia, congrats! 🙂
Thank you , James. Very useful video and very entertaining.
.....and book ordered.....
James Popsys in 2019: Cabin fever is a real thing
Me: *laughs in 2020*
Me: laughs manically in 2021
also in music you subtract :)
love your videos.
Interesting vlog and great photos. I dunno, though, a red post box with the elephant had its own artistic merit.
Thanks for the explanations, I'm just discovering your channel, I love the way you present things :)
Thanks so much and welcome 🙂 That's very kind!
Thanks so much and welcome 🙂 That's very kind!
Great video. Loved the cameo cat appearance at the end!!!
The cheek of it!
Great videos and great tips. I like the way you include a bit of humour and sarcasm, it makes the videos far more interesting.
7:45 Spot on regarding reduction and simplifying.
Another hilarious video James, I always look forward to watching them! Keep it up :) Oh, and belated happy birthday :D
Thanks so much mate :)
Great video thanks James - hearing your thought process when composing is the most useful insight you can share with beginners IMO 👍👍
Kudos. The shelf is still up.
"I've completely just made that up" I love your videos!!!
Great video and commentary love it.
Thanks James
Thanks for watching! 🙂👍🏻
James the Third?? That's 3rd in case it was misread :-D
Love the White Walkers' Dog
Cheers Peter :)
I was hoping you would be touching on the book. I look forward to that. Also, I wanted to ask you if you use your lenses full open sometimes. Seems like a lot of photographers say it will distort (for a better word) the edge of the picture. I have a G9 with an Olympus 12-40 lens f2.8. I use it at full open sometimes mostly inside shots, but maybe that's not good practice? Have you ever talked about your drone and what settings you shot with it? Some of those videos and shots of yours are amazing. Rlephant in the room jokes. Yup bad joke, but that's what brings everyone back to your videos. Keep making "bad" jokes.
Thanks so much for the support! I shoot wide open sometimes in bad light etc, but even in low light or when I want shallow DOF I try to stop down just a bit to help corner softness and vignetting 🙂
Again, a great video 😃👍🏻
Any „lecture“ on composition might also be advocating the use of prime lenses or „zooming with your feet“. Many photographers (including myself) have used and do use the zooming capabilities of their lenses as an excuse to be a little bit lazy. That’s not to say zoom lenses have no place, because that would be a stupid thing to say. I wouldn’t want to get rid of any of my zoom lenses at all. But getting physically close is often better than zooming in because it can create a more „intimate“ impression, depending on the subject. As a bonus, walking around instead of zooming also might yield other, perhaps more interesting angles.
Yes, that is not always practical or possible for one reason or another. That is where zoom lenses really shine. You point out (and rightly so) that anything you have in your shot should have a purpose. I would extend that to what goes on „off camera“ as well.
You know, as in „why do I want to zoom in? Can I get closer physically without endangering myself or disturbing the composition? If so, why not do it?“
That dog shot is stunning! :)
Video looks particularly sharp today. Maybe it's just me. What are you shooting on?
Thanks! Might be the 15mm 1.7 :)
"I'm indoors because its raining"... then the cat walks by at 12:38 LOL Nice! Great channel bud!
haha, didn't even have a coat on. Hard as nails... Thanks mate!
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hoping you'd make that elephant joke :)
Good job on the video, it's well thought out and I will be using your advice in both landscape and as far as possible in portrait photography as well.
Till the next one :)
You are hilarious dude! Great lesson too 😀
Very helpful ta very much! Particularly about the Rule Of Thirds, because I think I've been getting it wrong. I've got the grid set up on my camera but I've still been putting the main subject right in the centre of the frame instead of experimenting a bit where it might look better. I'll now be able to try it out! LOL By the way, I can relate to the 'Cabin Fever' thing in a big way!
8:25 with a 1920x1080 monitor, it's perfectly visible. Great video, thanks a lot!
Thank you for pronouncing Sri Lanka the way you did. 😊
Yet another really good video :)
Thanks Patrick :)
OMG James that joke would qualify as a bad dad joke. Great video as usual though so I'll forgive you ;-)
haha, cheers John!
Super useful & super funny!
Great to hear :) Thanks!
i’m not even a photographer i just like your voice
Happy Birthday!
Cheers Henry 🙂
It's like I'm addicted to your videos😫😂
Thanks so much :)
Excellent example of a frame within a frame at 12:40...
Cheers Owen! 🙂👍🏻
One minute in and I subscribed .
James! Is your book available to buy digitally? This way you get money, AND you don't have to sign or mail me anything. Win/Win? Great channel, thank you for all your videos!
Hey! Not right now unfortunately as I've not had many requests for it. Thanks for thinking of it though, I appreciate the support :)
Hi im pretty new to your channel but I subbed becase your pretty entertaining and informative. I though this was a really helpfull video, thanks. I don't know if its something you would consiser but I'd really love to see something about how to find good images in an uninspiring location, or your own home town in which even the beauty spots lose appeal after a while.
Thanks Claire! I've had that asked before so I'll definitely give it a go at some point :)
Hi James. Who did you use to publish your photography book? We would like to do something similar with our photos. Thanks Shane and Michelle
Hi Shane, a company called Mixam :)
Haha, that distorted rule of third overlay is funny.
You start painting from a black canvas? Is painting really so much different in GB ? 😂
haha!
Photography is the art of omission
What is the name of the cat in the background near the end of your video. I can't wait to see the book. Thanks.
Not sure Emily - but it's a stalker!
that boat shot almost looks like infrared =p
Haha, I see what you mean 🙂
i actually kinda liked the elephant photo with the red post box
Adding / subtracting - great to be reminded of these "rules". Thanks.
Cheers Harry!
Sorry if this sounds stupid, but how much is the book in US money? Will you still sign it if I order now?
No worries, roughly 25 dollars - thanks :)
Can't remember if you've said in a video or not, but are we still able to order a signed copy of your book or are they a limited run?
I can make sure yours is signed, sure! Just email me your order number if you get one 🙂
An easier way to use the golden ratio is to remember the proportion 3:5, so it's a bit beyond on the first line of the rule of thirds.
It looks better to the human eye because it represents the Fibonacci sequence, which is extremely common in nature, that's why the human brain accept it better as a composition
Gotcha Alessio :)
You're kinda funny when you make some stops when talking, like thinking. jajaja. Thanks for the vid!
haha, thanks Cesar :)
Hello, everyjames! And thanks you for sharing! (-:
I kind of wish that camera manufacturers would enable the golden spiral as an option rather than just the rule of thirds grid to be visible in the EVF of the back LCD display. Not everyone wants to play tic-tac-toe.
I am okay with the compositions, yet not the landscapes. But fine dining is overrated :)
I love negative space. It seems to be frowned upon by people that are sticklers for the rules. But it works. The dog photo is awesome, and that is great use of negative space. It gives room for the subject. I will continue to use negative space in my own work because that;s the way i like it (ah ha, ah ha) and I really don't care what others think of my work anyway as i shoot only for me.
I would have bought a book but my car decided to eject £552 out of my wallet on a very expensive service. Now i'm broker than a very broke thing with broken broke bits.
I agree Dave, I love negative space! And aaaaaah I know the feeling, hopefully that'll keep it running for a long while to come :)
Another good lesson, Glad it was raining (Sorry)
haha, thanks :)
Your kitty doesn't mind being outdoors ;)
I like to think of the rule of thirds and other photography rules more like a rule of thumb than a law. The same goes for that "You always want to keep your histogram right, not touching the left and not touching the right edges!" - Nope. If I want to shoot a silhoutette, I *want* that pitch black parts.
I hear you :)
The cat is the star, but a good vlog thanks.
Welcome to Photography Statistics with James Popsys. 😆
Haha, all completely factual you understand...
Your information is great. Your personality is great. Your video is almost great... Would be great if you're desk lamp wasn't shining right at the viewer.
Gotcha :) Thanks!