topic Re: Capture the moment or carefully compose in General Discussion

Capture the moment or carefully compose

dpsaiz — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 17:17:32 GMT

I thought I'd ask this question since I saw it in YT.

When you are out taking photos do you:

A. Capture the moment

B. Carefully compose?

I capture the moment for nearly all of my photography.

Re: Capture the moment or carefully compose

kvbarkley — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 18:58:26 GMT

It depends. Are you recording a moment or creating art?

Rockwell has his fart method:

https://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/fart.htm

Re: Capture the moment or carefully compose

Tintype_18 — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 14:57:00 GMT

Depends on the situation. I composed a photo of a frozen waterfall, December 2022. Capture the moment is tracking and snapping a photo of flying sandhill cranes.

Re: Capture the moment or carefully compose

SignifDigits — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 23:15:46 GMT

BOTH. If something is fleeting/urgent, I'll grab my "best guess" shot first then use Rockewell's FART and SEX (sorry for the Rockwell haters, but those acronyms are just easy for me to remember) to help me to think and try to make something worth triggering the shutter like I was shooting rolls of film. I like shooting in FV mode and with the EOS RF I'm shooting what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSWYG), so often my first shot (which is surprising to me) is the "keeper". If I'm shooting a landscape I'll definitely pause to think more, move my feet or zoom for composition, adjust depth of field, etc. In those times I find that often my last shot is the "keeper.

Re: Capture the moment or carefully compose

wgander — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 19:18:54 GMT

Both. I've been doing mostly animal portraits at the Zoo and Safari Park. I usually take one or two quick shots because animals and birds seldom pose. Then, I look for the best views, considering background and fences. I almost always use the automatic settings but sometimes use TV to focus on the subject and eliminate the fence.

Rebel T8i, Sigma 150-600mm