Working the Scene - Thoughtfully & Thoroughly

Think about it for a minute - how much time and effort do you put into planning, coordinating and shooting your photos?  If you're like me and most photographers I know,  the answer is quite a bit! 

With all of this effort, time, and money involved, why shortchange yourself by rushing through the scene and only capturing a couple of images, or worse - shooting a lot of images from the same viewpoint, with the same lens, f-stop, etc? 

It's easy to do!  Believe me - I've done it all to often and regretted it when I'm in the editing process, but hey - I'm learning as they say! 

Here's an approach I try to use every time I pick up the camera,  no matter how straight forward the shot may seem - Before I ever point the camera or mount it on my tripod,  I "take in" the scene with just my eyes.  Look, observe, walk around and through it.  Strong compositions will start to form in your minds eye.  Now is the time to get your camera, select your viewpoint and choose the lens that includes what you want in your frame. 
 
Great - now you've started the process!  Switch to a different lens,  shoot some exposures at a different f-stop for a different look and feel.  Now take your gear to another spot and shoot - you'll already be visualizing the next few compositions and series of shots because you have a mental image  from your initial walk-through.

By exploring,  and "turning over" all of the rocks of opportunity when you're shooting, the editing process will be a joyous one - knowing you've covered the scene the way it, and you deserved - Thoughtfully and Thoroughly!