The Stages Behind A Photo :

Well , as any of you who have ever pressed a shutter button , you will know that there is a thought process involved behind it . For some it is press a button and go , for others it is a very complex thing. Here I will describe to you my Procedure.

Before You Leave Home :
So , If you are planning a trip out of your local area, or even if you aren't a helpful idea is to jump on a site like Google or Yahoo and search for photogenic places in the area you are planning on travel , or talk another photographer you know who may be from that area, or browse some of their photos.

Of course there is the question of gear you need. Every photo will require it's own set of gear you will need. For me , I do a lot of long exposures at day and at night, so I need a fully charged battery , an ND filter (if it is day time) and the right lenses.

The Journey :
This just means , along your trip there, keep an eye out for other great photo places which YOU may think are neat and the website or photographer did not mention.

At The Scene Of The Crime :
Here is the big one ! When you arrive consider the following :

1. The Mood : Sometimes it depends on your mood at the time, but you should consider what sort of mood you want in the photo. Is it a stormy mood ? is it a peaceful mood ? 
2. Your Angle:  Try some new angles, or even one never tried before. How are you going to make this object / subject looks it's greatest ? Find an angle that best suits the mood.
3. What settings on my camera am I going to use : Are you going to do an exposure? if so you will probably use the Shutter Priority function . Do you want a lot of aperture (blurred background) if so you may use the Macro or Aperture Priority mode. Consider other things like White Balance , colour settings (eg, Faithful , Monochrome , Landscape etc)
4. Take Multiple Photos  : take a few , or alot , of photos of the subject , as when you get home to edit or choose the one you will use you may find that if you have taken a few , none are your ideal shot . And when you grab them off the camera , Do what I do and use an "Archives" folder, whereby I sort my photos by , the camera they were taken on , then the month . This is great as you may find those "left over photos"  you can use for other projects or re-edit and play with later. Don't rush , the photo may take some time to get your ideal , and that is what makes Photography relaxing
   
   Also : THINK AHEAD - How are you going to edit this if any ?
   Check For Any Other Subjects Big Or Small

At Home :
At home you (if anything like me) are going to be excited to grab those pictures off your camera and have a good look through. The only photos I delete are those of the old shoes peeking in the frame , or what I call the Red Sun , or your thumb trying to get a self portrait.

Choose the ones you want , and if they need editing whack em into Photoshop .

Going Shopping:
I don't like to edit photos too much. I am all for minor editing , but am not for all the "posterising" and tools like that , unless I am going for a specific purpose
I like the minor adjustments, like Contrast, Brightness, Shadows, Hightlights, selective adjustments etc

Last But Not Least:
Have a look at the photo. Really step back and think that YOU have taken it , your moods and skills show in it . Every Photo has it's good and bad points, so just look at the positives.

ALSO : Take some lessons from it , see somethings you could have done better and use them for next time , but don't get too caught up , because for the time , you did the best you could

WELL Thanks for reading this (which I am not sure if anyone does) And I hope this has helped :)

Catch up with you Guys soon
Remember my Facebook Photography Page and Flickr
Thanks guys :)
Brok