Previsualized for bleach bypass filter - Nikon D300 Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D @ f/11 ISO 200 1/400thOne photography tip to keep in mind as you start to progress as a photographer is previsualization. This is the process by which you see the final photograph before you even put the camera up to your eye. I was teaching a 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson at John's Pass Village recently in very poor, harsh mid-afternoon Florida light. This meant there was no reason for me to look for shots that would produce great color or exposure. So I did not. Instead, I switched my mind to looking for possible black & white or similar photo opportunities.
As soon as I saw all these birds sitting in a neat row on the railing of a pier this popped into my head: use the rectangular shape to frame the shot, post-process using a bleach bypass filter (found in Color Efex Pro). How was this able to instantly come to my mind? Because I had already started the previsualization process when I accessed the natural light situation. I gave myself a very specific type of shot to focus on looking for, so once a possibility was seen, I knew right away how I wanted to photograph it.
This is what the above scene looked like to the naked eye:
Being able to see the potential for a shot is KEY to producing consistently satisfying imagesThe next time you set out with your DSLR, try to previsualize shots before you even think about pushing the shutter. This will not only likely help you produce better photographs, it will cut down on the number of shots you just immediately delete when you get home.
Post a link to your previsualization results in the comments below . . .