Technique Tuesday: An Exercise In Composition

Good Morning Everybody,

Oh boy, is it an early morning today.  We asked the hotel to wake us at 3:00 a.m. - I know that sounds like a crazy time, but we wanted to witness the sunrise from the peak of Cadillac Mountain, one of the highest peaks in New England.

Sunrise comes really early in this part of the country.  Check your iPhone apps - it’s like 4:59 a.m.with “Dawn” beginning at 4:25 a.m. We wanted to catch the first rays and be among the first Americans to welcome the sun to the new day.

Sounds so romantic doesn’t it?  As we made our way to the peak, the fog was kind of thick - not a good sign for expert sunrise watchers like us.  I mean, we’re thinking, “Who else is crazy enough to get up this early to watch a sunrise?”  Turns out lots of people were.  We were the second to the summit, but while we were sitting there, several more cars pulled up to join the sunrise experience.

I need to tell you, there were a lot of cold, sleepy eyed tourists staring out into the sea of white fog as 30 mph winds whipped by our ears and surrounded our visibility. We stayed an extra hour to see if the fog would break - no luck, no beautiful sunrise. 

Does this mean we’ve got to set the alarm for 3:00 a.m. again tomorrow morning - I think I’ll check with the weatherman first ;~)

On the positive side, the fog looks really cool on the landscape and should give us good opportunity for some great harbor shots and  foggy landscapes. Cameras are ready, we are heading out, but not before today’s post.  Here we go...

An Exercise In Composition

Hey gang, since we are on vacation this week, I thought I'd pull one of my "Greatest Hits" tutorials for you to enjoy today.  This one goes back a few years, but it was one of my favorites and I hope you enjoy it too.

Today's tutorial is about composition.  More importantly, it's about how to find and see what I call "directional pointers" in the scene.  “Directional pointers” point the way to where you place your subjects in the scene. 

A few years ago we traveled to London and I took many photographs of the famous places we were visiting like Big Ben, Westminster Abby, Parliament, etc. Then I got thinking, "If I had a bride and groom here, where would I pose them in the shot?

This tutorial shows you just that.  It's educational, motivational, and most of all, fun.  I hope you enjoy this tutorial the second time around.  Hit the PLAY button below and enjoy the show!

One Last Reminder

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Hey gang, that's it for me today. We are packing the camera bags and heading out again into the foggy New England countryside. The weather is perfect up here - temperature-wise that is and the folks we meet are as nice as can be.  Time is flying and so are we.

How about I see everybody same time, same place for a post many of you have been dying to hear about - For Shooting Weddings: Canon 5D Mark II or Canon 7D?

Check back tomorrow for my definitive take on the subject.

See ya’ then,   David