Mistakes, second chances, and things forgotten (part two)

By Matthew Crompton | 18 September 2024

This is the second part of our series on revisiting our work, and this week, we're looking at adding interest, and how you can maximise any of those opportunities you get a second chance to shoot. You can see part one from last week here.

Second chances

1) Adding interest

The best images work on multiple levels. There’s not only a subject, but a second, and sometimes third, point of interest. And the best place to put that added interest? In the foreground, the background, or both.

Rather than simply being wowed by the main subject of a photo and allowing myself to get carried away with documenting it, I have increasingly learned to look for things in the environment that add to an image.

A framing element in the foreground is always a good choice, and even quite minimal elements – the line of a wall, a flower, a tufty bit of grass – can work wonders. Likewise, adding a bit of backdrop for the subject in the background can really improve the appeal of an image.

My favourite technique for adding interest is to render the added element in semi-focus, using an aperture wide enough to make the foreground or background soft but recognisable, without having it melt away entirely.

Adding interest is key. The medieval city of Siena, Italy adds a huge amount of interest as the backdrop for what would otherwise be an average food photo. Sony A7R IV, 24-105mm f/4 lens @ 27mm. 1/160s @ f8, ISO 100.

2) Getting the balance right

Sometimes you snap an amazing moment, but when you get it on the monitor, it’s just a little bit off. Hey, it happens. But sometimes you get a second chance to catch the balance just right. And reflecting on your prior work where you almost got it just right will help keep your brain primed to recognise when another opportunity is about to present itself.

I missed out on getting the pose right on this boatman in Bohol, Philippines. Shooting this today, I’d dodge the fisherman to bring a bit more detail back into the shadows. Sony CyberShot DSC-HX9. 1/250s @ f8, ISO 100.

When I look back on images that are almost but not quite right I try to interrogate what’s off. Is it the placement of the horizon or the subject’s pose? Is it the angles of the objects in the frame, or maybe the distance to the subject itself? It’s an exercise that burns the features of that original image into my mind’s eye.

With this second chance in Sulawesi, Indonesia, I managed to get the elements in the frame just right. Nikon D90, 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 lens @ 24mm. 1/500s @ f11, ISO 200.

And though it’s possible I might not get another chance at that once-in-a-lifetime photo to get the balance just right, in my experience, second chances come more often than you think.

Look out for our final part next week.