Do you stage pictures, or do you just shoot what you see?

[Bob Michaels]

I will never directly change a photo, not because of any rule but because I believe I make better photos that way. I only photograph people I did not previously know and will frequently shoot a frame, rewind, then let the subject react to being photographed in a subsequent frame. They seem to create better photo ops than I can.

[crawdiddy]

Originally Posted by Roger Hicks

Ummm... Small Tibetan boys pissing on Chinese flag. I paid for the tea. Otherwise, no.

Cheers,

R.

This cracks me up!

I hope you blur theTebetan boy's face, lest he end up in Chinese prison camp.

[Joe AC]

Never stage my pictures unless it before I'm about to shoot.

Joe

[jcrutcher]

Originally Posted by Roger Hicks

Ummm... Small Tibetan boys pissing on Chinese flag. I paid for the tea. Otherwise, no.

Cheers,

R.

This is the best!

[Peter^]

Thanks everybody for all the answers in this thread. It is great insight into the way you work. I've learned a few things.

[Kent]

I normally only shoot what I see.
Only when I take gear shots, I of course arrange the items.

[daveleo]

When I am creating "art", I do this and that and everything else before and after hitting the shutter button.

When I am recording my life, I shoot what I see.

I didn't vote because the categories are exclusive of each other.

[jwnash1]

I shoot what I see. I am not artsy enough to stage something. Don't have the vision.
John

[taxi38]

gut reaction was ¨never!¨,but in truth every shot is arranged and controlled by my movement and by my waiting for the cheese to arrive.

ps., Im only referring to street photography,still lifes tend to be arranged,...liberally.

[farlymac]

I have been known to move some offending stuff out of the view before a shot, or bending a tree branch that was blocking the light. But then the same thing goes for post work, like when I removed the orange electric cord growing out of my nieces head at her engagement party.

It just depends on what the shot is supposed to represent.

PF

[TXForester]

With a still life, sometimes. If I photograph a wildflower, I might move a leaf or stem of grass out of the way. Usually I see if I can find a composition that doesn't need altering before I adjust the subject. With other subjects, I don't arrange things and take them as they come even if they don't make a strong photo.

[one90guy]

I shoot as I see it and gave up trying to get grandchildren to pose.

[Roger Hicks]

Originally Posted by crawdiddy

I hope you blur the Tibetan boy's face, lest he end up in Chinese prison camp.

They were born in exile and were unlikely to go to occupied Tibet, at least before they were grown up. Where there was any danger of anyone going back to Tibet and being recognized, yes, blur. I've met enough people who've been tortured and raped to be careful about this one.

Cheers,

R.

[Nokton48]

Depends.

I've been to many, many events where it is to everybody's advantage, for me to take control and direct every aspect of the shoot.

Other times it is best to lay back and see what you can make of it.

[hidejoshi]

I change time and conditions, no scene. Sometimes realy shoot.

[Harry Caul]

A friend once told me that some people take photos, and other people make photos. I'm a taker pretty much exclusively, barring the odd shout at my daughter to get her to look my way now and again. Rangefinders and kids don't always get along....

[Roger Hicks]

Originally Posted by Harry Caul

A friend once told me that some people take photos, and other people make photos. . ....

This has always struck me as one of those things people say to sound clever, which actually makes them sound stupid. As soon as you start to think about what goes into taking a picture -- even the most basic stuff such as selecting a viewpoint -- it's impossible to distinguish it from what goes into making a picture.

Cheers,

R.