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Stay Coolheaded

0013047_2014_March(Ricoh GRD4)

Looking over onto the street, this chap had been sitting at the table for more than five minutes before I snapped the shot. The light was right, the balanced composition was right and the cool mood of the scene was right, kind of reflecting the tranquility the photographer was longing for. The last element was the most captivating to me at the time the shutter was released.  I mean, the scene has got to have something conjuring up the photographer's feelings, without which the final image will likely be bland and the viewers will know it.  To put this in another way, the essential element of a shot is the expression of the photographer's feelings. It is like a fingerprint giving the image an unique taste. And it is that unique taste which gives the image the ticket to success. With this in mind, I would suggest photographers see the world around us with a question mark (ask questions) and an exclamation mark (see with an affectionate eye). In this way one will see a lot more out of the ordinary lives, and take much better photos out of the ordinary scenes.

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