Slowing down is a huge part of the photo creative process.
What I have observed after teaching many photography classes; when photographers are out making photographs, they find something that captures their interest, they stop take the photograph and continue to walk on without even looking at the photo they just made. I would say that is a workflow destined for mediocrity at best. Creating a harmonious composition takes focus, patience, imagination, intuition, and more. The first photo you take is the introduction to fine tuning your composition. Begin by closely examining your LCD screen trying to discern what is working and what is not, what to leave in and what to leave out, check the perimeters of your rectangular frame to make sure that you’re not cropping or cutting any forms off on the edge of your LCD monitor. Adjust and re-adjust as many times as needed until you feel comfortable with your composition, checking that all the forms within your composition are not crossing over intersecting other forms. Continue to adjust your camera position and reshooting as many times as necessary until you have discovered a location where most forms are integrated into a harmonious relationship within the context of your frame.
As you move backwards, forwards or side to side you will observe how the relationships of all the forms from your viewpoint change. With practice, you will learn how and where to place all the forms within your viewfinder, so they do not overlap one another. Our visual acuity is highly refined far surpassing our perceptive abilities. When you can perceive the world as forms by dropping all labels you will have taken the first step to understanding how and why your composition are successful or dissonant. When looking at the same environment we see the same things, we can agree on that most of the time but what we perceive is unique to each individual and refining your personal vision is what photography is all about.
