There is so much information out there on the do’s and don’ts of composition that it can be quite overwhelming.  You might want to just put the camera down and forget about it. Don’t do it.  Don’t give up.  Pick up your camera (or phone camera) and just start shooting what YOU like.  This blog is one of several that will cover how I compose my images and my thought process when I shoot.

To me, its important that I capture my viewer’s attention and hold it for more than a  quick glance at my work. The image below is a farm field I shot on a cloudy day.  I wanted the farm in the distance to give the feel of the immense size of its fields.  Kind of boring.  Just a picture of farmland.

As you can see, the cloud cover is not that thick, so I waited for the sun to poke through.  My thought was to highlight the field with the sun.  My second image came out OK but I still was not pleased.  Notice that I kept the same distance shot of the farm.

My third idea was to capture the sun as it hit somewhere about the middle of the field which is what you see below.  Still not real happy but it’s much better.

I changed my mind about where I wanted the sun as the farm no longer seemed to be the focal point.  Waiting a bit longer, the sun finally hit the spot of the field I wanted.  The end result shows the immense size of the farmland, the impact of clouds on light shining on the fields (the darker foreground), and the sun highlighting the farm buildings in the distance.

This is what I envisioned.  The farm buildings as the focal point, the foreground with the muted colors of fall, and a tall plant on the left pointing towards the farm (that was an added bonus!).  So, go out there and start shooting.  Think about what you want your final product to be and don’t be afraid to change your mind in the middle of the shoot as long as it enhances your original vision!