Camera artists: your approach to planning and getting great shots?

[Doug Bennett]

the more you zoom in the shallower the depth of field.

[Louis Maddalena]

yes, but it it also brings the background closer to the subject, it does however decrease the lens's ability to focus on that object.

[Joel Peregrine]

Hi Kell,

Originally Posted by Kell Smith

What is the mental process, the approach, that goes into evaluating your surroundings and choosing the shots you will need in any given situation? The angles, the lighting, the variety of shots you will get, new and interesting ideas, etc?

For me its all about finding elements in the surroundings that relate to each other and then figuring out how to include both in the same shot. Some are examples are practical, like shooting over the shoulder of an on-looker, and some are simply a composition that is visually balanced. You can do a rack focus to draw the eye from one element to the other or you can use wide angle lenses and dutch angles to create a composition that is content-driven. What I try to do is set up a shot that has interest on more than one level by including things that interact with each other somehow. People are always good for that - they are a perfect creative obstruction. This isn't a wedding but its a good example - instead of shooting the clock straight on and then prepping the horse I included both in the same shot:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/attachmen...1&d=1220463684

[Louis Maddalena]

Originally Posted by Joel Peregrine

Hi Kell,



For me its all about finding elements in the surroundings that relate to each other and then figuring out how to include both in the same shot. Some are examples are practical, like shooting over the shoulder of an on-looker, and some are simply a composition that is visually balanced. You can do a rack focus to draw the eye from one element to the other or you can use wide angle lenses and dutch angles to create a composition that is content-driven. What I try to do is set up a shot that has interest on more than one level by including things that interact with each other somehow. People are always good for that - they are a perfect creative obstruction. This isn't a wedding but its a good example - instead of shooting the clock straight on and then prepping the horse I included both in the same shot:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/attachmen...1&d=1220463684

That is a good shot.