How to Chimp Your Photo #106

How to Chimp Your Photo #106

Last week I talked about taking more photos. This week I want to talk about chimping. I talked a little bit about chimping your photo, but I want to get into more detail about this. Chimping your photo is when you review the image on the back of your LCD screen after every single press of the shutter button. This is a really bad habit. Why? Because every time you put your camera down to look at the image, you'll have lost your place. So that when you point your camera back at the scene, it will be difficult to get back to where you started. So what am I suggesting? I'm suggesting that after you press the shutter button, wait for another second or two and look at the image in your viewfinder. Check the edges and make sure you have your shot. By doing this, you will often notice something that you missed in the first shot. And when you notice this, make the adjustment and fire again, and then look again. If you've made another mistake, fire again. Keep doing this until you believe you have your shot. Once you believe you have what you need, then you should put your camera down, but not until then. With that, you might've shot two, three, or even five or six frames. Once you've done that, review your shots and make sure to check your edges and your foreground and your background and you have what you need. As with the previous pod, I'm not suggesting that you spray and pray. I'm suggesting that you take your time to make sure you have your image before you put your camera down. I'm also not saying that you should never review your images on your LCD after pressing the shutter button. The great thing about digital photography is that you can check your work right away, rather than having to wait hours or even days to get it back from the lab. As with the previous pod, shoot more, not less. But take your time and pay attention to what you're doing.