The best (and fastest) way to master composition

Look who’s here 😀😍

The only downside I see is that not everyone can see easily that this is a lake. And that’s part of the “magic” of the tree, that it grew in the middle of a big lake (which we don’t see). We also miss the size relation between the other trees and this one. And that is part of the “story” or image that want to be presented. I would try to emphasize this small tree in another way, but presenting also more from the lake and forest (more environment) so people see quickly the environment where this small tree was able to grow (that’s the story or main theme, right).

Thank you.

Hello Alister. I just tripped over your YT clip while searching for advice on my photography journey. I had to chuckle over the composition subject of your video. I live very close to the "Fairy Tree" here on Vancouver Island and have many shots of it. As does many many others. Small world. Anyway, very informative clip, I look forward to more. Cheers.

Brilliant channel - will be watching again soon. Thanks for all your hints and tips, both within camera and during edit process.

Hi Allister. Your photography career reflects who you were as an artist and what you have become with teaching along the way. How does your other art forms like music play into your photography journey? How does your wife influence your creativity? Did all these things holistically blend into your mature expressive and artistic self?

Nice tip! But honestly, mastering composition is a journey that requires a lot of practice and experimenting. There's no one-size-fits-all solution, but this is definitely a great starting point!

Interesting ideas on cropping! Since I love reflections, I might have tried a vertical slice with that tree and its reflection.

I was at fairy tree a couple of weeks ago. we had a river otter diving around it. so that was nice.

Thank you!

Thanks for sharing your knowledge on composition, I have difficulties recently on this topic and watching your video inspired very much! For me, talking about composition is always a cool topic!

Funnily or insultingly enough This morning I was shooting at a park and had a couple go bye that I got a cold vibe from .. still said hello..they came back around and the wide real bitchily was espousing to her husband that something “isn’t art!” …some people are some people

Absolutely crazy cool and inspiring. Thanks! 🤗🇳🇴📷

Sorry, the phrase is excellent but examples 1+2 just look like you needed a longer lens. Example 3 is lovely but no “uncool” needed excluding. Example 2 looks like you refuse to do a vertical crop on the subject and add the distracting bright reflections because you are enjoying panos at the moment. My best shots can’t match your worst, so I apologise for challenging the “Emperors new clothes”, I just have to be honest amongst all the praising comments.

The more I listen to you and read your books the more appreciate your skills as a photographer and a teacher.

Keeping it simple and back to BASICS! Thanks

You said something in this video that has had me thinking about it since I watched it. It connected a few dots. Another piece of the puzzle. Thank you. 👍

🎯

This is refreshing and stimulating. My brain needs this channel. Thank you - from the swamp.

I don’t take a lot of landscapes but mostly focus on wildlife, but when I do I can never get the final to look like what I saw or even what I imagined it would or could be. I think I always do too much in post and ruin the outcome. This was very educational. Thank you.

Thanks and i hope you will recover soon. Have a great holiday, cheers

Amazing. I'd love to attend a workshop! Do you get out to the West Coast?

One of your better videos, enjoyed it.

The True North 🍁❤ A great video, this really cut through a lot of noise when it comes to what to photograph and how to compose it. It also made me realize I want to go back and reread your ebooks, which are fantastic!

Hope your vacation is everything you want it to be!

Oh I like that - "point your camera at the cool, then eliminate the uncool". I liked the processing on the last image where you flipped it. Never thought of doing that. By the way, nice t-shirt. Glad you enjoyed your time in Canada but sorry you were hit by Covid.

Great simple answer to a very complicated question. Bravo.

Thank you for the awesome video Alister. I've been shooting for 30 years but I always learn something from your presentations. I love how you cropped the photo to be a pano and I wish I could process photos like you do; your fine tuning made it go from ho hum to amazing and captivating. Hope you enjoy your holiday away! And I hope to meet you in person some day on one of your workshops! Many thanks!

I am confused about the intended meaning of "cool"..cool in temperature or cool in feels great.

Superb editing - thank you ever so much, Alister!

Paid for my spot for next year's A&A Meeting today! Can't wait to point my camera at the cool with you! It is interesting to hear your reaction to an oft photographed icon with seemingly limited composition options. I hope you are feeling better!

outstanding as always. thank you

Thanks Alister, great video. Hope you are feeling better. I’ve had COVID twice. Sucks.

Love your videos, so calm and informative to the point. - Besides: Isn’t that also Gavin‘s most beloved tree?

Thanks Allistair, yet another great video! 😀

Cool! Keep feeling better and enjoy the trip with your mother and wife. Thanks for the video.

Thank you for this grate tips! Short enough for me to be able to remember 😅 and I’m watching this video while having Covid myself. Hope you have a great vacation!

Why turn off? Composition is one of the most interesting topics, because even pros always improve upon this. I've been a pro for several years now and it is my favorite topic to talk and educate about and always find myself learning new things (even though I had several semesters of image theory in uni and thought I already knew everything). Lovely to hear your approach, all the more since I am a musician as well.

Love it ♥. It's as simple as that. Thanks for sharing, Alister

Really helpful the way you draw the focus from a fulklframe approach to the final focsued (cool) final approach. It opens my way of looking at locations and determining the final composition. Thanks for the great video and hope your feeling now much better after picking up Covid. Take care and look forward to you being back after the vacation

Hope the recovery goes quickly Alister. You mentioned you are able to crop heavily due to your 102mp Fuji camera, do you have a recommendation for megapixels to be able to crop heavily, to help enable more choice of a picture within a picture, such as you did with the tree?

👍good video

Thank you for this instructive video. The X-PAN version is really oustanding. The way you cropped and processed it gave the illusion of this little tree standing in a cave with stalactites in the background. Highly effective and outstanding (in the true sense of the word as far as the tree goes) … the key takeaway to me is „Compositions do not exist“.

A great video for those who struggle with the fact that "everything is already there" in nature and who ask themselves what the photographer's share is. Thank you for reminding us that composition is not a given in nature but something we have in our hands by seeing, engaging, selecting, sometimes abstracting. Point your camera at the "cool" - Yes! 😁

Awesome! Terrific lesson. Even I can remember this.

very much like the abstract image

Great video Alister! Love your mantra, find whats cool and eliminate the rest. Thanks!

Great video! Thanks for taking the time to make this while still under the weather. Hope you feel 100% soon!

Did you get some traction on the blue hyperfocal distance scale on the gfx system? We went back and forth a bit a while ago about that on a you tube video I think. Curious if you found that tool helpful while shooting :-)

I thought the tree’s reflection was too cool to cut.

Thanks for the lesson.

Very cool, Alister! Glad you are recovering

One of your best video... It really "gets me thinking"....