The Wi Fi Principles #2: How the Wi Fi Principles Helped Me Define Working the Scene

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Britton Jenkins
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The Wi Fi Principles #2: How the Wi Fi Principles Helped Me Define Working the Scene The Wi Fi Principles were first published by me almost two years ago.

1 The Wi Fi Principles #2: How the Wi Fi Principles Helped Me Define Working the Scene The Wi Fi Principles were first published by me almost two years ago. They had been taking shape in my mind for at least two years prior to that as I struggled to come up with a workable model to help me master creative composition. What had, unfortunately, eluded me for decades was a process that would result in predictably successful outcomes every time I clicked my shutter. Some time ago an article was brought to my attention in which the author outlined the necessary steps in crafting winning compositions. In the article, they mention working the scene which seemed to comprise the effort of shooting multiple variations of zoom, angle, position and direction and then later, in post-processing, manipulating them to create professionallooking photographic compositions. Unfortunately, I had serious issues with accepting this as a workable/useful approach. In my mind, the expression working the scene only hinted at a process without really defining it and that's what was desperately needed if it were going to help with the nuts and bolts of image capture! I knew that my Trigger Moment (let's just call it TM) theory worked because my wife, Jane, over a period of several years, had grown to recognize and be confident about her own ability to identify them in an instant and several photographic compositions from our recent trip to England, had been based upon her new-found ability to instantly see creative possibilities A typical Suffolk, England landscape based on one of my wife Jane's TMs Fast forward... I dissected my Wi Fi Principles step by step to see what I could add that would assure success with a predictable degree of regularity. I had no issue with the Wi Fi Principles, but had I defined each step well enough that people (including myself) could easily follow them and also apply them in the field? Here is what I discovered as I reviewed the individual steps:

2 What's Interesting. Find it (Wi Fi) This is predicated upon my theory of visual TMs and accepting/using/nurturing them as the point of origin of the development process in crafting winning photographic compositions. Define It (Di) Define what it was that you saw that interested you. Colour, Contrast, Shape, Form, Reflections, Repetition, Perspective, Texture and Surface, Leading Lines, Framing devices, etc., etc. The list goes on and on and photographers grow this list on a regular basis as they practice their creative photographic skills. Focus on It (Fi) Make sure that your main subject is in focus. Sounds and is simple to do if you're familiar with the AF Area mechanism on your camera. Feature It (Fi) Make specific things stand out... or not stand out. What to include? What to exclude? And a huge Why to each question? This had to be the working the scene missing link that I needed now to expand on and fully develop! Structure It (Si) Apply some form of underlying structure (for most of my dslr students it was the Rule of Thirds) to your main subject(s). How does one go about Featuring (with a capital F) main elements to advance overall visual impact and compositional cohesiveness? How about the issue of consciously not featuring (eliminating or minimizing) other elements that might detract/distract from our overall message? In other words, how does one arrive at THE definitive composition for every TM? Let's look at this process step by step. After the TM has been experienced/identified, take this primary visual element and hold it within your viewfinder frame. You're going to want to keep it in the forefront as you massage and manipulate everything else around this item. Then, through zooming in and out, ask yourself what other things could be included to add interest. If you zoom in you exclude things on or near the periphery of the frame that might distract or detract. If you zoom out, you can possibly include positive, supportive items that might add to your message and/or the overall visual impact. Don't get greedy or you'll include too much and risk watering down your main message. It's a subtle balance. Foreground, midground and background are typically aspects you'll want to think about at this point. We're including positives and excluding negatives. As to what items I specifically include, ask whether there might be items in your Define It mental list that you could add if you angled the camera up, down, to the left, to the right? Never lose sight of your main TM item but just add and add as you zoom and angle to find as many positives as you can. At this point you are juggling the TM aspect that started the ball rolling, items from your Define It list and issues of structure, feeling the composition building strength. Stoop down, walk around for an alternative position and perspective, always looking to add further checklist items. The process typically takes four to eight frames.

To sum up, the Wi Fi Principles process isn't sequential, but in fact involves, after the TM, the simultaneous manipulation of Defining It, Featuring It and Structuring It (Note: I'll assume here

It's learnable with a bit of practice and what's beautiful is the feeling that you can now work your own scenes with concrete steps to arrive at predictable results.

3 To sum up, the Wi Fi Principles process isn't sequential, but in fact involves, after the TM, the simultaneous manipulation of Defining It, Featuring It and Structuring It (Note: I'll assume here that the Focus on It is something you can add into the mix and vary at your discretion). It's learnable with a bit of practice and what's beautiful is the feeling that you can now work your own scenes with concrete steps to arrive at predictable results. It isn't rocket science and my wife Jane will probably even help you if you ask her nicely. Shot taken only seconds after experiencing a trigger moment when I first spotted this vintage RR station. My first attempt at defining a basic composition. Old trunks in foreground aligned along the left vertical axis. The kernel of my idea of heritage in this old RR station is established.

Slight zoom out to include part of the old baggage wagon on the left which I considered a supportive element

Swing camera left for a variation with foreground three trunks aligned along right vertical axis and entire

I m gaining one item but possibly at the expense of eliminating too many other supporting elements from the

4 Slight zoom out to include part of the old baggage wagon on the left which I considered a supportive element that would add to my message about this vintage RR station. Swing camera left for a variation with foreground three trunks aligned along right vertical axis and entire baggage cart now visible. I m gaining one item but possibly at the expense of eliminating too many other supporting elements from the previous composition. The final version with all the necessary elements to tell a more comprehensive story now included. The three trunks are still close to the right vertical axis. This zoom level assures that we include only supportive elements.

5 Final edited version. Tom Cooper is a member in good standing of Professional Photographers of Canada. For a decade he taught digital cameras, digital photography, digital photo-editing and digital file management at Okanagan College s Kelowna, BC campus. He currently teaches the Digital Photography Certificate Program at Red Deer College, Red Deer, Alberta. Tom and his wife reside in Kelowna, BC, Canada 2018 by T. W. Cooper All images and blog content are the property of the author. All rights reserved

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