PaleoMan Loc: Hartland, WI

Another factor that I've struggled with are "Progressive Bifocals" on my eyeglasses. If you are viewing your subject with glasses on, each time you place the View Finder to your eyeglass lens you are likely placing it in a different region of the lens. Especially so if you are shooting in and odd position like crouched near the ground. I've blamed this for many slightly out of focus shots. The best advice I've found is "train yourself to always place the EVF at the same place on your lens" which is not very helpful. - Steve

bbrowner Loc: Chapel Hill, NC

I have not been able to every word of all these thoughts. So maybe someone else has mentioned what i’m going to say. Anyway...

When I’m out and around... WITHOUT MY CAMERA... I find myself always looking at “things” around me to see (or imagine) what kind of photograph it could be. That is ‘practice’.

When I was a professional concert musician... practice came in many forms. Not only with my horn in my hands.

So I’m saying... practice photography with and without your camera.

Barry

bbrowner Loc: Chapel Hill, NC

I have not been able to every word of all these thoughts. So maybe someone else has mentioned what i’m going to say. Anyway...

When I’m out and around... WITHOUT MY CAMERA... I find myself always looking at “things” around me to see (or imagine) what kind of photograph it could be. That is ‘practice’.

When I was a professional concert musician... practice came in many forms. Not only with my horn in my hands.

So I’m saying... practice photography with and without your camera.

Barry

bbrowner Loc: Chapel Hill, NC

Sorry for the double posting.

GENorkus Loc: Washington Twp, Michigan

Unless your friend is personifying a camera, it is impossible for it to be "seeing" anything. At least with todays technology.

You might as well give the camera a common human name and start talking to it.

What you can do to improve in photography would be something like this.

Compair what you have envisioned and figure out all the technical things needed in a camera to accomplish the final product of what YOU have originally seen.

ronpier Loc: Poland Ohio

Excellent.

Bill P

Remember, your vision sees in 3D, the camera sees in 2D.

nekon Loc: Carterton, New Zealand

"Compair?" Where do you people learn to spell?

DaveyDitzer Loc: Western PA

The need for shooting from different angles or views is one reason I like at least one of my bodies to have a movable LCD, especially a tilt and rotating one.

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

In order to get the very best image possible many variables must come together, both with the equipment and in the mind of the photographer. In today's digital world that we live in with photography it is impossible to leave out the variable of processing an image. So, there is the equipment, whatever you use, and the settings (exposure, aperture, etc.) the artistic elements (composition, color, line, form, shape, etc.), and the brain we use to envision the end product. When all of these variable come together the end result is an artistic creation, not just a snapshot of someone in front of whatever. The truth is that some of us are snapshot shooters, some of us are journalist shooters, some of us are documentary shooters, and some of us try to create fine art images. It helps to decide which type of shooter you are first and then you can learn everything about that type of shooting by studying others who do a better job than you do, reading up on the craft, watching videos if that is your "thing," and by making every attempt to put it all together. Doing this will allow you, hopefully, to pull everything together at some point and you'll realize that you've improved greatly over time. It does take knowing your equipment and how it functions and learning how your camera sees an image, it does take knowing software and what you can do with an image as you take it, and it does have to do with knowing a bit about artistic elements and how they work within an image. Creating a beautiful image or photograph has little to do with how long you have been shooting and more to do with setting goals and reaching them. What you don't want to do is to keep taking the same shot over and over again using what you learned in the first year as you will not get better doing that. Just my thoughts on the subject.

Michael1940

Good photos come from experience, and experience comes from getting it wrong many times and learning from it. I cut my teeth on home developed and printed 35mm B&W, which takes a lot of time to see what's wrong. Now it's just look at the screen and if it's a stinker, hit the trashcan button and retry.

MDI Mainer

It seems to me that a focus on trying to figure out what the camera sees gives undue importance to the role of an inanimate tool.

The better approach is to visualize in your mind what it is that you want to depict, and then have sufficient mastery of your camera's operation to bring that visualization into effect (with perhaps some modicum of post-processing manipulation if needed).

http://anseladams.com/the-key-to-a-photograph-from-ansel-adams/

GeorgeFenwick

Lots of useful tips and ideas have come my way now, but Adam’s point about visualization comes closest to what I was looking for. I was frustrated that what I saw did not make it to the photo. Many suggestions have helped, but Adam’s referring to the mind’s eye put the problem right where I think it belongs: on my mind...figuring out what I am seeing and how to get that into the photo. As many have said, I now need to practice! Thanks all.

splatbass Loc: Honolulu

The human brain has the ability to filter out what is not important. So you may see a beautiful mountain, but the camera also sees power lines, a trash can, a sign and other distracting objects you didn't see. Take time to look all around the viewfinder for all of these kind of details before you press the shutter.

Buss Marple

For the last year, it has been my mission to be on a shoot and to be able to “see”, maybe recognize the difference between what my eyes can see, and what my camera sees. I’ve gotten better, so we will call it a work in progress. Here is some information that I found helpful. Dynamic Range: Human eye = 24 stops, 576 megapixels, Camera = 11-14.5 stops max, 50 megapixels. Our cameras can not possibly see what our eyes can capture. My first post, hope it helps.