Getting It "Just Right"

I just finished reading Everyone Is Beautiful by the lovely Katherine Center a few days ago.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and could relate to the main character on so many levels, but one pleasant surprise I got from the book was a peek inside the process of old-school film photography.  I'd say this coincided quite nicely with my recent foray into the world of plastic toy cameras.

And that got me thinking about the courage it takes to click the shutter on a film camera, lacking the instant feedback of an LCD screen.  I realized that with digital, I can look at a photo I'd just taken, and if it's approximately what I was going for, I just tell myself I'll "fix it" at home in Lightroom--crop it, change the angle, etc.

When I took the photo above, I decided to try to get it "just right" then and there.  Now, "just right" happens to be a pretty subjective matter when it comes to photography, and that's something we each have to decide for ourselves.  For this specific photo, I knew exactly how I wanted it framed and at what angle, and instead of taking one or two shots that were merely useable, I took the time to concentrate on what I wanted in that photo, and after several tries, I got the exact composition I was looking for. 

I believe there is a time to Just Shoot It, and I also love to Shoot From the Hip.  Now, however, especially since I'm going to be working with film some of the time, I would like to work on more mindful shutter clicking.  This will probably be difficult for a shutter-happy individual like myself.

How about you?  Do you have an image to share that you took special care to get "just right," meaning the way YOU wanted it to be?

Comments

[laura-dolcepics]

Beautiful shot Sarah-ji! And you're right... the photo is perfect in every way!

I like to frame my scene in-camera and try not to crop in post. In the shot linked below, I actually took the time to frame it just how I liked it. I like the balance of it all. :)

http://tr.im/wyp49

[Betzography]

I knew what I wanted when I saw her toddling around the yard wearing that hat. She was focused on looking at the grass and her feet so a front shot was nearly impossible especially since she was doing that "I can run" toddler's set of quick turns with no turn signal. So i followed her and followed her and followed her each time calling her name until she was framed just like I wanted her to be. The result is one of my faves to date.

http://www.betzography.com/nj-photographer-betty-rank/2009/5/28/betzography-krysta-nj-childrens-photographer.html

All is great with the world when the pictures in my head align with the pictures I see through my lens. :)

[Marcie]

What a wonderful image. Absolutely perfect.. in every way.

Altho I - too - tend to be shutter happy..this was one where I knew exactly what I wanted..and waited for that one shot:
http://www.marciescudderphotography.com/index.php?showimage=798

[Deepa]

This one http://www.flickr.com/photos/51886699@N00/3529524293/. It was exactly the way I had framed it in my mind.

[Alicia]

I'm working on not taking so many photos and instead taking the time to make sure when I click, it's meaningful... It is hard though, when I have the chance to click multiple times and the room to store the photos! This last weekend, when I came upon a little shrine in the sand, I did take my time with the photos. I walked around it looking for the shots I wanted to get. I only took 6 shots of it, 2 repeating shots that I ended up throwing out.

http://aliandsethinthecity.blogspot.com/2009/06/shrine-to-beach.html

I do want to spend more time getting the "just right" photos.

[Vanessa]

for me it's this one: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanessa_r/3505245307/in/set-72157607451011710/
he was standing chatting with his gentlemen friends in the middle of the buzzing square, cradling his old rolleiflex in one hand. my camera was drawn to the intriguing trio (more than it was to the famous architecture surrounding us) so i snapped some candid shots (http://risingtothechallenge.blogspot.com/2009/05/best-shot-monday-1.html )....
i knew i wanted one of just the camera: 'please keep talking'... 'stay right where you are'... 'don't notice me'... 'just give me enough time to frame it and snap it and then i'll be gone...'

[Dani]

Beautiful shot!

Here is mine. http://www.flickr.com/photos/36197392@N06/3516646060/in/set-72157616386203054/

When I set it up I knew exactly what I wanted to accomplish and I did. But, I also knew exactly how I wanted it to look after photoshop as well.

[kosenrufu mama]

I love that shot!!!!!! here some of mine, during a long day.
http://esterdaphne.blogspot.com/2009/06/realizzare-un-sogno-si-puo.html

[shelli - mama of letters]

When I did my project on the William Harris Homestead, I wanted to "get it right." So I spent two days and took my time composing each shot. Many of them I took multiple shots before I got it right. I did post-process them a little, but I think taking that time really helped to make the work good. I especially love what I got inside the house. I took a very long time getting those just right. Of course, I'm grateful that I HAD the time to spend at this wonderful place too.

http://www.mamaofletters.com/Site/Albums/Pages/The_William_Harris_Homestead.html

[camerashymomma]

just last week i picked up a film camera for the first time in about nine years. i was scared. what if i'm a fraud, what if i just take 200 photos in fifteen minutes so i surely get some good ones? i can't afford photography to be my hobby, what if i take this roll of film and it's all crap?

we've been swimming alot. river has a snorkel. i picked up a cheapy disposable underwater camera. now, not only can i not *see what i am photographing but it's film too with no instant gratification of seeing what is wrong or what is right with an image.

out of 27 images, four were good. one was beautiful. and i think, in my mind, that all the years of me learning my digital camera, all the years of plethora, of greedy photo snapping and deleting somehow etched something into my brain. the angle, the shoot from the hip, the self portrait from arms' length, the shoot into the light...it is all practice that becomes engrained in your arms, your angle, your finger before pressing the shutter.

here's my favorites from my recent adventure (underwater) with film. they are quite possibly two of my most favorite photos ever, because of the fact that they are so precious, they are film, and i have actual negatives. i've missed film.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/camerashymomma/3601494119/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/camerashymomma/3602304456/

[Betty Jo]

Your photo is awesome!

I actually shot film up 'til four years ago. I'm glad I had that opportunity. Film and processing was expensive so I had to learn exposure, composition, etc. Old habits die hard, and I still practice what I learned from film with digital, more often than not.

http://snapped-in-raw.blogspot.com/2009/06/phlox.html

[Mod Girl]

I knew exactly what I wanted with this shot... taken yesterday... and it took, oh about 23 tries for me to get it framed up and focused "just right."

http://www.modobjectathome.com/2009/06/oh-yuck.html

[mrs. e]

Great shot. I'm waiting for the other foot to come down.
I'm from small town America, so on vacation in the big town--I wanted to get a shot that showed how tall the buildings were--and from a boat no less. I loved this picture of the gentle giants of Chicago.

http://quotequill.blogspot.com/2009/05/refuse-to-be-average.html

[kristin]

oooh yeah that is scary. i am shutter happy like you. i have a holga and a pola so those make you get it right or it is just trash... it is hard.

[Jamie Lapeyrolerie]

There's amazing wildflowers by my house, so I wanted to try something different with some of them. They make me happy every time I drive by them :)

http://jamielynnephotography.blogspot.com/2009/06/photo-of-week-39.html

[Toni | Daily Vignette]

I love C's ruby red shoes!! And I love this shot, too, Sarah - well done.

I'm pretty careful to always try to get the shot I want in camera, in regards to framing, angle, perspective, etc. I might try out a few different scenarios to see which I like better, but I do it with intent. I use LR to adjust exposure, etc.

http://dailyvignette.com/2009/06/09/to-seek-the-light/

[Becky]

For this scene of the historic Oregon City bridge at dusk I actually went back 3 times. The third time, when the boat came through and the light was just right, it was magic...

http://blog.bagdanoffphoto.com/?p=1280

[georgia]

great post! and what a fabulous picture this is!

i am one of those people who takes tens of pictures of the same thing until i get it just right—one of the perks of digital cameras! {one of my friends makes fun of me for this.} this is one that i took several times before i was satisfied. then when i got them on the computer, i ended up choosing one of the shots i originally was not happy with.

{it's the first shot in the post}
http://jorjah-b.blogspot.com/2009/06/jorjah-love.html

i probably shot this 15 times. sometimes what i like on the lcd screen ends up being the shot i like least on my computer monitor.

[Jaana]

The shot I uploaded is not edited. I tried to get everything I wanted straight from the camera. I have about 3 years experience shooting with a 35mm, when it WAS a huge commitment to click the button. I definitely adapted to digital much better!

The shot could still use a little tweak here and there, but for the most part, it was exactly what I was going for. http://www.flickr.com/photos/dxeechick/3610469869/

[Betty Jo]

Please tell me how to register for the site. Also where do I send my OSS nomination? Thanks from this newbie! ♥

[My Two Seasons]

That is such a gorgeous shot! I love everything about it!

I try really hard to get the compostition right in camera. I very rarely crop in photoshop. I tend to take lots of pics with my girls, mostly because they move so fast! But I try and get as much "right" as I can before PS, it just makes it a LOT easier for post processing!

I was convinced the lighting in my house was horrible, but I decided to give it another shot. I am so glad I did! I caught my youngest at lunch yesterday, savoring her soup!
http://mytwoseasons.com/2009/06/08/my-best-shot/

[Patty Reiser]

While I don't have a specific picture to share on today's topic because my Picture of the Day was one of those fleeting moments captured. I did enjoy taking some time to look at what everyone else was posting. I think I loved the lizard skeleton the most.

Wishing my Shutter Sisters a scent-sational day!

Patty

[Lecia]

Amazing shot! And I can't wait to read the book - just ordered it. I worked to capture one of my boys in our garden; I finally got it just how I wanted it:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/a_day_that_is_dessert/3599678436/

[Chataqua]

I LOVE that shot!! I really haven't been doing to much with my Photography, just feeling down. I need one of you sisters to kick me in the butt! lol

[Tabitha]

I started taking photography classes using film last year, and it has made me realize what a shutterbug I was. I have so many useless photos that if I had taken the time would have been so much better.

My post is a photo of my son Jake. I have always wanted portraits of my boys in overalls, and decided to finally do it myself.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2JHAVSLB698/ShH0Tehtz9I/AAAAAAAAAAM/h0OjVV9khkw/s1600-h/Laughing.jpg

[Leslie]

Such a lovely photo, very nice editing. Here's is one of mine.

http://lesliephoto.blogspot.com/2009/06/happy-happy-happy.html

[spread your wings]

i typically try to get the shot the way i want it in the camera. sometimes, most times, it takes several clicks to get it right. this day i got some that I was pleased with.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/autumnsun/3612978150/in/set-72157616314170463/
this one i had a specific goal - yet it was not achieved.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/autumnsun/3612163493/in/set-72157616314170463/

[jenifriend]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/friendphotog/3612222211/in/set-72157617189378287/

i set this one a 10 second lapse. click it, step back...and wait. i love the reflection the moon took off the hood of my car...

[Heidi]

Even though I have a digital SLR I have taken the approach ever since buying it that I wanted to really think about my photos and not have the fall back of computer editing. Each and every picture I take I think about it first, and some the thought is less than a half second long, but I am usually the happiest with the instant "Wow what a great pic!"

[Julie Alvarez]

It's easier for me to practice this with my Nikkormat, since shooting film is always a restriction to double takes. And I like that. I am trying right now to do the same thing with the digital too. I don't even like clicking away like crazy (although, now that I think about it, in the own dimensions of film camera, I've always been like that, clicking like crazy even with film, at least compared to other people. But I pretty much like the results, almost every time.)
Here are some of my do it just right shots, at least for me:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliealvarez/3587913392/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliealvarez/3585200567/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliealvarez/3582998345/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliealvarez/3585996206/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliealvarez/3576759859/in/set-72157617779503892/

[Julia]

This is something I've thought a bit about. I JUST switched from a N80 to a Nikon D90. I have almost never cropped my photos or asked the developer to do so. I'm learning, from looking at loads of other female photographer blogs (many of whom are FANTASTIC), that many people spend time on Photoshop changing up/enhancing their photos. I am not sure how into this process I should get. I just purchased Photoshop Elements (I know, the baby of the Photoshop products). Right now I really don't like changing up my photos much. Maybe that's inexperience talking but I do feel like I should get it right when I snap the photo. If the lighting stinks or something's in the picture that shouldn't be there, so far, I've gotten rid of it. I miss using film. But, on the other hand, I think I've already improved my technique (after working on my photography for 21 years) using a digital SLR.