I can fully understand wanting to find the ideal scene for your photography when you are creating a video. However, I have to say that I really appreciate when you still make a video in a less than ideal scene! It really helps me to think more critically about what I am capturing. I do believe that learning what is distracting from a good photo is just as important as learning what makes a good photo. Thank you so much for putting in all the work towards creating content that helps educate other photographers! I know the work that both you and Nigel Danson do have helped elevate my photography the most in the past year.
Really liking your holistic approach Mads. As for the two boat photos, if I have to choose I would pick the vertical image because of the soft glow from the rising sun. Plus there is separation between the upper tree branch and the line of background trees. I also like how that line of background trees ends on the left before touching the foreground trees. Heck, they're both great photos. Glad you included the rejects also....very helpful! BTW, my lovely wife adores elephants (and who doesn't) so now I REALLY can't get them out of my mind!
The final bridge photo is fantastic. Crop it a little so right is less important bright aera, bridge and left part is more "symbiose"... as a pc lens shifted... bridge is symmetric but you can include left without right ☀️
As in the boat photo, I like both but I'd use them differently. If I was printing large and hanging the photo I'd pick the one with the trees framing the boat. However if I was viewing on screen then the colourful light photo would be better. Both are lovely for different reasons.
I agree as well. I was thinking large print for the landscape format and a more intimate scale print for the portrait format image. The scale of an image can have a huge influence on composition choices in my opinion. Both shots work for me with that consideration at play.
Ahh this hits home. Good on you for removing the branches. I wish I could remove electric wires that hangs in the air, ruining my photos. Theres always some. Even high up the mountains :)
WOW ....... this is an amazing video Mads !!!! A ton of educational info and spectacular footage ! My favorite @7:18 is the vertical, it's simpler, nice glow left, the land behind is not going into the left, the leaves in the top left are not touching the center land part and the front of the boat is pointing towards the glow/ light .... everything works for me !!!! EPIC !!!!! The drone pictures of the fog are surreal ........ just like gigantic waves on an ocean .... LOVE IT !!!!!
I am really liking the portrait version of the boat on the right. The colours really appeal to me. Soft and dreamy! also love the misty birds at the end. Perfect. Thank you for your wonderful videos.
Thanks Mads, that was insightful! On the boat photo - I prefer the vertical, but mostly cos in the horizontal the overhanging leafs are crossing over the trees in the background. 😄
Great topic. By looking at a photo in a whole but being able to break it down into it’s parts helps identify and enhance the pieces like removing the unwanted branches, zooming in to remove bright spots in the branches. Then the whole picture is better as a result. I think I like the horizontal shot better, mostly because of the greens in it. Both are still great shots.
I like the horizontal boat photo the best. The vegetation provides a thicker frame. The video of the whispy tendrils of fog over the lake from above with thy drone were stunning.
I do prefer the horizontal photo of the boat. It seems to fit the natural way we see things when we are relaxed and taking in the view. For me vertical photos represent a more concentrating view - say if we were climbing along a mountain ridge etc. Also a vertical photo could compliment a wall display of 3 photos of the same scene. We all see things and appreciate them in our own way, which is great as we get variety. Thanks for a great video Mads.
What an amazingly peaceful spot. It has great light in the morning. I like those live oaks. I liked the zoomed out version of the boat photo as well. The composition was more balanced.
Great video, insights and images created on that foggy morning. Also, some pretty good wildlife captures for a Landscape photographer!!! Keep up the fine work.
Great work on the video and I love the images. One of my favorite parts of photography is the unexpected images from things like the fog on the water at the end. Thanks for sharing.
Of the two boat photos at the beginning, I personally preferred the horizontal one with more of the context ("story") than the 2nd vertical where it was cropped in a context was lost. I actually liked the bridge photo that you showed at the end. I love the sunbeams, backlit trees and that nice weathered bridge.
I love the misty lake shots with the birds. They are beautiful and magical. I prefer this type of shot to standard landscape shots with boats and bridges etc as they are so ethereal and evoke a mood. I love the slight abstractness of them.I love the background music. I could look at these images all day. Thank you Mads for sharing.
The framing on the vertical photo works alot better than the horizontal one, plus in my opinion the horizontal one is a tad bit too green. The vertical one also has better light and the mist in the background becomes more prominent. it also tickles my mind a bit if it is reflections or real branches on the bottom of the photo which amuses my mind. They are both great photos but the vertical one has that little edge. Thanks for another great episode Mads!
I had this video on my 'to watch' list for a while and I'm so glad I got around to it. I'll be in the Lake District (UK) in October and I have taken away great pointers and inspirations for this trip. For me personally the boat picture zoomed-in and portrait has it. Fantastic light and a very Zen feeling. The landscape, zoomed-out version is more of a standard scene, still beautiful in comparison less special.
For the boat image I love the light of the vertical one but the composition of the horizontal one. Light makes such a great difference to me aesthetically . Great video! Thanks!
Hi Mads, Thanks for sharing your photographic experiences with us. Talking about the photograph of the boat, it is true that the branches are usually a point of distraction but in the horizontal photo you show, the second one I think, with the crop, those branches that enter the scene, give us some reading lines towards the central area, except the trunk itself. As for the vertical image, it is true that it is shown as a cleaner image in terms of the natural frame made by the leaves and the small branch on the left, also the light coming from the area on the left gives another different feeling and that influences the composition of it as a final result. As always an exceptional work. Thanks again.
Gorgeous morning. On the bridge shot I wondered if you should go superwide and put it in context....but then cropped in the viewer is left wondering where the path leads 🤔🍻
In terms of the first image, I preferred the one on the right Mads as the eye could naturally leave the image in the direction the boat was pointing over to the beautiful light in the sky. Loved the drone images too. Your processing course also helps me in the field as I can consider my options when composing a scene as I know what I can do in post if something is slightly out of place
Have just come across your channel and subscribed halfway through this video. I prefer your vertical image. It seems more ethereal to me which I like. These two compositions also remind me of something that a photographer friend of mine sometimes comments about my photography. I can have a tendency to capture too much of a scene and, whilst it still looks good, there is not as much feeling coming from the picture. Of course, it is personal preference but, I get a magical spark from looking at the vertical picture. It is a mesh of the remoteness of the boat with the possibilities of adventure from the light coming from the left of the photo.
Nice video about a topic that is not talked about a lot as Mads Peter mentioned. I like both boat photos. In the horizontal version I would have lowered the camera a bit. Then the upper branch wouldn't overlap the treeline.
Hi Mads, at the moment I like both your pictures with the boat. Each one has a different atmosphere produces a different feeling. In time I think I will probably settle on the landscape image as my favourite because it feels quieter and, for me, more subtle. Thanks Mads for the great video as always.
That was such an interesting vblog with beautiful soft colours and interesting compositions. I preferred the wide shot of the lake with the boat, and didn't see the bridge photo was too busy because rays of sunlight through the trees were the major part of the story. "Less is more", some people say.... well, here you show that sometimes less analysis is what the subject requires. I always try to take the big shot of the story and then when I have thought about it, some of detailed elements which make the story up.
This will sound strange but the leaves on top and bottom makes me see an almost unrealistic 3D crop like I'm looking up at the trees and then there is a boat on the lake floating in the sky. Maybe it's all those damn Insta360 reviews I've been watching. Perception can be reality and it's not always a good thing IMHO. However, your work is so well grounded that I love it and constantly learn. Thank you for sharing Mads.
Those aerial shots are amazing! If i didn't know what it was I'd say it was a top down view of a rough sea or river rapids. Beautiful. On the bridge photo I think a vertical shot may be better to cut out the distracting gap on the right of the scene. Great video Mads. Cheers.
You could probably have cropped the water from both sides of the bridge and made it all about the bridge/sunlight and it would still have been a great photo. As it is, the water on both sides gives it a bit of context
Mads, Of the two photos of the boat, I prefer the landscape version. With the trees on both side bending into towards the center, I believe that this helps to focus attention on the boat or the main element of this image. Also like the mist trails over the lake….
I prefer the horizontal boat photo. It has a softer, cooler atmosphere and , at least to my eye, is more calming and pleasing. As for the bridge, my first thought was that maybe if you could have moved to your right a bit. You lose the straight on view but may have been able to eliminate the glare from the lake. However, I think your final bridge photo works very well but while I was immediately drawn to the center the brightness on the right was kind of distracting. The balance between the lake and the stream though was very good. Thanks for another excellent and informative video.
I’ve paused halfway through the video to give my feedback on the compositions, so not sure if there will be something ahead that will a affect my thinking. But here are my thoughts. I very much prefer the portrait composition. One thing that I’m sure affects my perception is that I’m looking at this on my phone, so in some sense you could say I have a holistic view by necessity. In the landscape view, I feel that it suffers from what my architecture professor called “the tyranny of symmetry” in an abstract sense, the woodlands do form a distinct frame, but this image by definition has a strong sense of place. The boat as the subject gets subsumed by the woodlands, and the beautiful context of the lake is incomplete. I have a sense that I’ve just about arrived at the lake, but not quite there and not quite out of the woods. The last bit for this is how the small branch above the boat impinges on the far shore, which is the one strong diagonal element and draws attention. The portrait view gives the boat more presence and with just the slight separation, the small branch doesn’t interrupt the diagonal/perspective line. Also, the addition of the sunlight glow breaks the tyranny and also leads you onto the depth of the scene. It also emphasizes the sunrise, which is why you got up at 4am in the first place. There is a wonderful calm at this early summer hour that makes this kind of shoot that much more special. Thanks for requesting my opinion.
I prefer the landscape one, and think you decision to include the branches thoughtfully real,y helped establish the inner "circle" around the boat better. Having a heavier or more visible outer boundaries by using the larger branches as visible framing stops i think helps the ete to be more contained inside the photo in the end without being too dominant ,ike in your first example,inmthe video where the branches beczme too dominant. good tip to work the scene loo,ing for,multiple framing ideas. Good video!
I really enjoyed your video and presentation style. I prefer the vertical photo. I actually like the where the water leads off either side of the boat. There is a kind of mystery of what maybe along there beyond what I can see in the photo. For me personally, I would prefer the boat to be a bit more off-centre. I love the idea of physically removing the branches from the water. (Would this be called holistic editing?)
Hey Mads, I have skipped or deleted many images like the bridge photo because they don't really have a point. You need a model, a child, a woman in a gauzy white dress walking through the beams of light ...something to create a point of focus for the eye and give the bridge purpose.
Love the boat images. I can see the bridge image is busy, but it has a good story. I can imaging myself walking across the bridge to explore. So I'm sure plenty of people would still consider this for a print on their wall. You're finding some great light recently, so the early mornings are worth it :)
Yeah for me, I don't mind busy. As long as you can at least compose the image in such a way that what you're trying to achieve is noticable; so a lot of the time in my local area woodlands and hills/parks are very busy, lots of foliage, broken branches, stuff all over the floor, trees all over the place and very "wild". But that in its own essence can make the photo, the business itself. With that said, I totally understand your predicament at that bridge with the open space and bright area to the right, that would also drive me nuts and I'd probably edit it and then go "nah" lol, but your other composition of it with the edges brought in and more balanced looked spot on; absolutely goes to show that a different orientation or just moving about a little bit can massively save it! Great work and great advice in the video on thinking about the image as a whole; after all it's always and only about the full picture!
Awesome photos! I'm sure you have heard this before but I would be interested in seeing the same photo before and after editing (something like a wipe-over or similar). That could also be used as an effective plug for your lightroom and photoshop courses. :)
I learned compose instinctively by shooting and proofing one roll of film a day for over a year. Consequently my finger just twitches when the composition gels -it is not a fully conscious process. At the same formative period I was using a 4 x5 view camera for product photography. Both experiences influence how I compose pictures today using M4/3 cameras. Your deliberate approach is quite different, and really making me think.
I enjoy listening to your thought process, and I wouldn't be so bold as to offer advice! I did prefer the zoomed out versions of the boat photo though, much better. Above all, I enjoy your complete joy at finding all these views and different light🙂
What a beautiful idyllic scene. I look to the graphic nature of the composition first then the delicate tonal range taking you into the details of the photo. This view is a little too symmetrical a composition for me with the trees framing the boat in the center of the shot. Everything points to the boat. I envision moving the camera to the right then panning to the left, thus placing the boat closer to the right hand third of the composition.
Ha! Editing/ cropping the photo is a usual thing to do. Its a strange though that you can actually do the same thing BEFORE you take the shot! )))) Neat )
NOT too busy Mads. Beautiful scene to my eye. And those beams just top it all off.
That last image was magnificient! It's so surreal...
I can fully understand wanting to find the ideal scene for your photography when you are creating a video. However, I have to say that I really appreciate when you still make a video in a less than ideal scene! It really helps me to think more critically about what I am capturing. I do believe that learning what is distracting from a good photo is just as important as learning what makes a good photo.
Thank you so much for putting in all the work towards creating content that helps educate other photographers! I know the work that both you and Nigel Danson do have helped elevate my photography the most in the past year.
Thank you so much for such a kind comment! It really means so much! 😊
I prefer the landscape with the tree trunks included. Beautiful. Such stillness.
Really liking your holistic approach Mads. As for the two boat photos, if I have to choose I would pick the vertical image because of the soft glow from the rising sun. Plus there is separation between the upper tree branch and the line of background trees. I also like how that line of background trees ends on the left before touching the foreground trees. Heck, they're both great photos. Glad you included the rejects also....very helpful! BTW, my lovely wife adores elephants (and who doesn't) so now I REALLY can't get them out of my mind!
The bridge with the sun rays is not to busy for my taste. It's beautiful ❤️
The final bridge photo is fantastic. Crop it a little so right is less important bright aera, bridge and left part is more "symbiose"... as a pc lens shifted... bridge is symmetric but you can include left without right ☀️
Classy video. Loved the birds in the fog, such beautiful luminosity
As in the boat photo, I like both but I'd use them differently. If I was printing large and hanging the photo I'd pick the one with the trees framing the boat. However if I was viewing on screen then the colourful light photo would be better. Both are lovely for different reasons.
I agree...
I agree as well. I was thinking large print for the landscape format and a more intimate scale print for the portrait format image. The scale of an image can have a huge influence on composition choices in my opinion. Both shots work for me with that consideration at play.
Ahh this hits home. Good on you for removing the branches. I wish I could remove electric wires that hangs in the air, ruining my photos. Theres always some. Even high up the mountains :)
WOW ....... this is an amazing video Mads !!!! A ton of educational info and spectacular footage ! My favorite @7:18 is the vertical, it's simpler, nice glow left, the land behind is not going into the left, the leaves in the top left are not touching the center land part and the front of the boat is pointing towards the glow/ light .... everything works for me !!!! EPIC !!!!!
The drone pictures of the fog are surreal ........ just like gigantic waves on an ocean .... LOVE IT !!!!!
It's serene and beautiful. Wish i could be there enjoying the view.
I actually like how that tree you hate helps frame the boat in with it zoomed out.
That scene with the elephant in the calm water was really cool.
I like the horizontal boat photo. The trees provide a lovely frame. Great shot of the water bird with a fish in its mouth!
First time I've encountered one of your videos.
It certainly won't be the last!
Good information and beautiful work!
Elephants!!!!! dang you, Mads. Hey thanks for the wonderful video with lots of good pointers! I like the vertical one the best
The portrait orientation boat photo is perfect, the balance of the gaps along the edges works well, the overall feel is very calming and peaceful.
Lovely views of the morning light, mists, etc. Thank you for being a morning person so we don't have to.
Amazing feeling hearing this calm music together with these epic photos :)
Perfect , Favorites were the horizontal boat photo and the shot with the bird and fish. Excellent instructional video Thank you.
Absolutely love the photos of the fog! ❤️ Thanks for the great tips on composition and seeing the whole picture.....
You got your bird! Beautiful shots Mads! Love the description of your interpretation of the holistic nature of taking photographs.
I am really liking the portrait version of the boat on the right. The colours really appeal to me. Soft and dreamy! also love the misty birds at the end. Perfect. Thank you for your wonderful videos.
Thanks Mads, that was insightful!
On the boat photo - I prefer the vertical, but mostly cos in the horizontal the overhanging leafs are crossing over the trees in the background. 😄
Like the vertical comp more due to the symmetry from the leaves and their reflection. I also like the edit and the warmth from the sunrise.
You are a true artist! I prefer the horizontal boat photo. Thank you for sharing your skills and talents.
Love the photo with flying birds!
Loving that composition/image at 05:15 Mads. Really peaceful with great light. 👏
Whoa!! The image at 13:30 is a banger!!
Great topic. By looking at a photo in a whole but being able to break it down into it’s parts helps identify and enhance the pieces like removing the unwanted branches, zooming in to remove bright spots in the branches. Then the whole picture is better as a result. I think I like the horizontal shot better, mostly because of the greens in it. Both are still great shots.
The vertical boat photo is magical, and us exactly not how I would have taken the shot which is fantastic as it successfully challenged my thinking
I like the horizontal boat photo the best. The vegetation provides a thicker frame. The video of the whispy tendrils of fog over the lake from above with thy drone were stunning.
I do prefer the horizontal photo of the boat. It seems to fit the natural way we see things when we are relaxed and taking in the view. For me vertical photos represent a more concentrating view - say if we were climbing along a mountain ridge etc. Also a vertical photo could compliment a wall display of 3 photos of the same scene. We all see things and appreciate them in our own way, which is great as we get variety.
Thanks for a great video Mads.
Awesome pictures and footage. The bridge and boat image are my favourites. Great, carefully selected compositions.
I like the framing and warmer tones of the vertical boat one
What an amazingly peaceful spot. It has great light in the morning. I like those live oaks. I liked the zoomed out version of the boat photo as well. The composition was more balanced.
I miss so so many images when vlogging. What an amazing morning light.
Great video, insights and images created on that foggy morning. Also, some pretty good wildlife captures for a Landscape photographer!!! Keep up the fine work.
I was impressed with the vertical shot but the zoomed out shot was so beautiful. The identical holes help make the shot so beautiful
Great work on the video and I love the images. One of my favorite parts of photography is the unexpected images from things like the fog on the water at the end. Thanks for sharing.
I always shoot in horizontal landscape. Thank you for your tips. Greetings from the Philippines.. 👍🤩
Of the two boat photos at the beginning, I personally preferred the horizontal one with more of the context ("story") than the 2nd vertical where it was cropped in a context was lost. I actually liked the bridge photo that you showed at the end. I love the sunbeams, backlit trees and that nice weathered bridge.
I love the misty lake shots with the birds. They are beautiful and magical. I prefer this type of shot to standard landscape shots with boats and bridges etc as they are so ethereal and evoke a mood. I love the slight abstractness of them.I love the background music. I could look at these images all day. Thank you Mads for sharing.
Thank you for such a kind comment, Chris! Yes, I really love those two photos with the birds too :)
I like both photos of the framed boat at 5:30 in your video. I prefer the warmer tones in the portrait oriented photo.
I like the bridge shot! Not too busy for me. The fog patterns on top of the lake were very cool!
The framing on the vertical photo works alot better than the horizontal one, plus in my opinion the horizontal one is a tad bit too green. The vertical one also has better light and the mist in the background becomes more prominent. it also tickles my mind a bit if it is reflections or real branches on the bottom of the photo which amuses my mind. They are both great photos but the vertical one has that little edge. Thanks for another great episode Mads!
I had this video on my 'to watch' list for a while and I'm so glad I got around to it. I'll be in the Lake District (UK) in October and I have taken away great pointers and inspirations for this trip.
For me personally the boat picture zoomed-in and portrait has it. Fantastic light and a very Zen feeling. The landscape, zoomed-out version is more of a standard scene, still beautiful in comparison less special.
Excellent video, a great point, well explained as always 👍🏻
For the boat image I love the light of the vertical one but the composition of the horizontal one. Light makes such a great difference to me aesthetically . Great video! Thanks!
I liked the second one the side light is nice it helps you go from the boat to the light
Hi Mads,
Thanks for sharing your photographic experiences with us.
Talking about the photograph of the boat, it is true that the branches are usually a point of distraction but in the horizontal photo you show, the second one I think, with the crop, those branches that enter the scene, give us some reading lines towards the central area, except the trunk itself.
As for the vertical image, it is true that it is shown as a cleaner image in terms of the natural frame made by the leaves and the small branch on the left, also the light coming from the area on the left gives another different feeling and that influences the composition of it as a final result.
As always an exceptional work.
Thanks again.
Gorgeous morning. On the bridge shot I wondered if you should go superwide and put it in context....but then cropped in the viewer is left wondering where the path leads 🤔🍻
Very beautiful photos and the video too. 👍👍👍
Very nice Mads. I like the virtically photo bedst 😊👌
Love the horizontal.
Just put the sticks back; no big deal.
Wonderful shots, Mads!
In terms of the first image, I preferred the one on the right Mads as the eye could naturally leave the image in the direction the boat was pointing over to the beautiful light in the sky. Loved the drone images too. Your processing course also helps me in the field as I can consider my options when composing a scene as I know what I can do in post if something is slightly out of place
I like the vertical one best. The overall composition and symmetry works better for me.
Thanks for sharing your thought process. I've been there many times thinking how to best frame the shot...
Have just come across your channel and subscribed halfway through this video. I prefer your vertical image. It seems more ethereal to me which I like. These two compositions also remind me of something that a photographer friend of mine sometimes comments about my photography. I can have a tendency to capture too much of a scene and, whilst it still looks good, there is not as much feeling coming from the picture.
Of course, it is personal preference but, I get a magical spark from looking at the vertical picture. It is a mesh of the remoteness of the boat with the possibilities of adventure from the light coming from the left of the photo.
Thanks again for another enthusiastic video Mads, personally I think both images are strong in their own way, great stuff 🙂👍📸
Hi Mads, for the bridge picture, maybe a 1:1 crop would work better?
I came to the comments to see if anyone else thought the same
Thanks again. I like the left boat but wished it had the sun on it
Love both pictures but prefer the horizonal one.... thanks for the great teaching on all your videos... enjoy your day!
I do like your videos so stay with them. I think the horizontal boat shot was my choice but the vertical one was also great.
Awesome video ! Quite lovely shot too !
Nice video about a topic that is not talked about a lot as Mads Peter mentioned. I like both boat photos. In the horizontal version I would have lowered the camera a bit. Then the upper branch wouldn't overlap the treeline.
That one shot of the bird eating the fish is just amazing! Great Video :)
Hi Mads, at the moment I like both your pictures with the boat. Each one has a different atmosphere produces a different feeling. In time I think I will probably settle on the landscape image as my favourite because it feels quieter and, for me, more subtle. Thanks Mads for the great video as always.
That was such an interesting vblog with beautiful soft colours and interesting compositions. I preferred the wide shot of the lake with the boat, and didn't see the bridge photo was too busy because rays of sunlight through the trees were the major part of the story. "Less is more", some people say.... well, here you show that sometimes less analysis is what the subject requires. I always try to take the big shot of the story and then when I have thought about it, some of detailed elements which make the story up.
I was checking you out...great photos! :)
This will sound strange but the leaves on top and bottom makes me see an almost unrealistic 3D crop like I'm looking up at the trees and then there is a boat on the lake floating in the sky.
Maybe it's all those damn Insta360 reviews I've been watching. Perception can be reality and it's not always a good thing IMHO. However, your work is so well grounded that I love it and constantly learn. Thank you for sharing Mads.
Great tips as usual!
Those aerial shots are amazing! If i didn't know what it was I'd say it was a top down view of a rough sea or river rapids. Beautiful. On the bridge photo I think a vertical shot may be better to cut out the distracting gap on the right of the scene. Great video Mads. Cheers.
yes the horizontal looks great.
Stunning as always. Thanks
Very talented....thanks for the great tips.
You could probably have cropped the water from both sides of the bridge and made it all about the bridge/sunlight and it would still have been a great photo. As it is, the water on both sides gives it a bit of context
Or, similarly, move close to the bridge and start the frame from the bridge moving in, towards the light.
Excellent! Thank you.
Mads, Of the two photos of the boat, I prefer the landscape version. With the trees on both side bending into towards the center, I believe that this helps to focus attention on the boat or the main element of this image. Also like the mist trails over the lake….
Extremely beautiful day... wow... ❤️
I prefer the horizontal boat photo. It has a softer, cooler atmosphere and , at least to my eye, is more calming and pleasing. As for the bridge, my first thought was that maybe if you could have moved to your right a bit. You lose the straight on view but may have been able to eliminate the glare from the lake. However, I think your final bridge photo works very well but while I was immediately drawn to the center the brightness on the right was kind of distracting. The balance between the lake and the stream though was very good. Thanks for another excellent and informative video.
Love the portrait version
I’ve paused halfway through the video to give my feedback on the compositions, so not sure if there will be something ahead that will a affect my thinking. But here are my thoughts. I very much prefer the portrait composition. One thing that I’m sure affects my perception is that I’m looking at this on my phone, so in some sense you could say I have a holistic view by necessity. In the landscape view, I feel that it suffers from what my architecture professor called “the tyranny of symmetry” in an abstract sense, the woodlands do form a distinct frame, but this image by definition has a strong sense of place. The boat as the subject gets subsumed by the woodlands, and the beautiful context of the lake is incomplete. I have a sense that I’ve just about arrived at the lake, but not quite there and not quite out of the woods. The last bit for this is how the small branch above the boat impinges on the far shore, which is the one strong diagonal element and draws attention. The portrait view gives the boat more presence and with just the slight separation, the small branch doesn’t interrupt the diagonal/perspective line. Also, the addition of the sunlight glow breaks the tyranny and also leads you onto the depth of the scene. It also emphasizes the sunrise, which is why you got up at 4am in the first place. There is a wonderful calm at this early summer hour that makes this kind of shoot that much more special. Thanks for requesting my opinion.
Thanks for such a thoughtful and insightful comment, Don! Much appreciated and very interesting analysis :)
I prefer the landscape one, and think you decision to include the branches thoughtfully real,y helped establish the inner "circle" around the boat better. Having a heavier or more visible outer boundaries by using the larger branches as visible framing stops i think helps the ete to be more contained inside the photo in the end without being too dominant ,ike in your first example,inmthe video where the branches beczme too dominant. good tip to work the scene loo,ing for,multiple framing ideas. Good video!
I really enjoyed your video and presentation style. I prefer the vertical photo. I actually like the where the water leads off either side of the boat. There is a kind of mystery of what maybe along there beyond what I can see in the photo. For me personally, I would prefer the boat to be a bit more off-centre. I love the idea of physically removing the branches from the water. (Would this be called holistic editing?)
Hey Mads, I have skipped or deleted many images like the bridge photo because they don't really have a point. You need a model, a child, a woman in a gauzy white dress walking through the beams of light ...something to create a point of focus for the eye and give the bridge purpose.
Hi Mads, thank you for another inspiring video
Love the boat images. I can see the bridge image is busy, but it has a good story. I can imaging myself walking across the bridge to explore. So I'm sure plenty of people would still consider this for a print on their wall. You're finding some great light recently, so the early mornings are worth it :)
Yeah for me, I don't mind busy. As long as you can at least compose the image in such a way that what you're trying to achieve is noticable; so a lot of the time in my local area woodlands and hills/parks are very busy, lots of foliage, broken branches, stuff all over the floor, trees all over the place and very "wild". But that in its own essence can make the photo, the business itself. With that said, I totally understand your predicament at that bridge with the open space and bright area to the right, that would also drive me nuts and I'd probably edit it and then go "nah" lol, but your other composition of it with the edges brought in and more balanced looked spot on; absolutely goes to show that a different orientation or just moving about a little bit can massively save it!
Great work and great advice in the video on thinking about the image as a whole; after all it's always and only about the full picture!
Awesome photos!
I'm sure you have heard this before but I would be interested in seeing the same photo before and after editing (something like a wipe-over or similar). That could also be used as an effective plug for your lightroom and photoshop courses. :)
I do that occasionally 😉
Great suggestion The Allroth! It would be very helpful.
I think the fog video was stunning but my favorite photo was the landscape boat.
Hi Mads I love the vertical one a lot!!
I learned compose instinctively by shooting and proofing one roll of film a day for over a year. Consequently my finger just twitches when the composition gels -it is not a fully conscious process. At the same formative period I was using a 4 x5 view camera for product photography. Both experiences influence how I compose pictures today using M4/3 cameras. Your deliberate approach is quite different, and really making me think.
I enjoy listening to your thought process, and I wouldn't be so bold as to offer advice! I did prefer the zoomed out versions of the boat photo though, much better. Above all, I enjoy your complete joy at finding all these views and different light🙂
What a beautiful idyllic scene. I look to the graphic nature of the composition first then the delicate tonal range taking you into the details of the photo. This view is a little too symmetrical a composition for me with the trees framing the boat in the center of the shot. Everything points to the boat. I envision moving the camera to the right then panning to the left, thus placing the boat closer to the right hand third of the composition.
The vertical. It is the second choise when ypu approach the scene but something different.
I like the horizontal image of the boat best. To me, it’s an invitation to the boat and pulls me into the story.
Ha! Editing/ cropping the photo is a usual thing to do. Its a strange though that you can actually do the same thing BEFORE you take the shot! ))))
Neat )
I think the second boat photo has more impact and mystery!