Daytime Composition

Winter in Canada can be a long, drawn out affair (I'm looking at you 2017/18). This year winter has been kind by Canadian standards, but the spring melt is no less welcome.  The deep snow blanketing the mountains has started to shift and in low lying areas it is in full retreat.   

My friend and I were keen to get out and make a few images this week, for no reason other than practice. Though perhaps we were not too keen, as we didn't rise early to catch the sunrise or stay late for the sunset.  We just had some  'pressure free' time roaming kananaskis in the cold light of day making what images we could.   

Sometimes these are the very best of days. There's no expectation, no time to be on location, no requirement to find those perfect conditions for the group to capture.  It's just two friends out enjoying their love of photography.  I find that making shots in daylight really presses you to work your composition skills to the max, you don't have good light or golden hours to save the image, so you had better get the composition right.  

One thing that will always help in these circumstances is a reflection, it doesn't matter where you find it as long as it works.  This filthy melt water puddle didn't look at all appealing from a standing position, but getting low down with the wide angle lens and creating symmetry (of sorts) either side of the dead grass strip across the centre of the frame made for a nice mid afternoon shot.  Mt Indefatigable always provides an impressive bulk and the cloud filled skies helped add interest to the image. 

Is it a world beater of a shot, no. But it would sit comfortably in a calendar in either spring or autumn months. Very often as landscape photographers we are driven to chase perfect conditions and withdraw, wounded, when we don't get them.  Sometimes it's just nice to be out in good company making what images we can, when we can, without that pressure to deliver. 

For more information on composition,  you will find my 18 basic composition tips here, I promise you that becoming familiar with these, and considering them when preparing a shot will help improve your image making overall.