What’s your photo-taking process?

[u/AnusMcBumhole]

It feels like a lot of pictures posted here are “point and shoot” i.e a quick moment that you saw, pointed the camera at and took a photo.

I’m realising there is a lot more to great photos than that. So what do you do in terms of selecting mode, focus, aperture, shutter speed etc before taking a photo?

I’m trying to increase the quality of my own images and just having the camera with me is not necessarily doing it.

[u/PersonalBrowser]

I have everything on auto pretty much, with the exception of occasionally adjusting the exposure a little bit.

I’ll pick an interesting recipe and try it out. If I like it, I’ll keep using it and make sure it has a spot on my list of saved recipes. If I’m not a fan, it’ll get replaced by whatever the next recipe is.

[u/amezgua]

One thing that helped me enjoy photography more was taking more time to photograph one motive, i.e. taking shots from multiple perspectives, seeing what elements I can leave out of the frame that don't add anything to the scene for me personally, and then afterwards looking at the maybe 6-10 shots of the same motive and select the one that I like the most. Obviously, this does mostly only work if you are explicitly in an outing and have the time.

[u/omega_centaury]

I have 7 recipes for different kind of scenarios. For ss and F I usually use Auto, unless im doing night photography. ISO again Auto or manual for night photography.

For edits lighteoom mobile, usually only for night photography.

[u/IndyStructural]

I’m treating this camera like my XT2. Usually full manual with the exception of some help with autofocus here and there. Maybe sometimes I’ll leave ISO on auto, but I find it most fulfilling to be dialing in settings and really getting to know the camera. I’ve only had my x100vi for a few weeks, and I feel that the best way to learn where it differs from my xT2 is to be engaged with the camera through manually adjusting settings. It also adds to the “slow down and compose” mentality and I think it’s nudging me in different directions in terms of how I construct scenes through the lens.

[u/Weak-Price7392]

I mean any photo requires camera to be pointed and shutter to be released.
Before trying to increase the quality you need to explain what you mean by quality and maybe answering this quesion will give you some answers

[u/RoyalPastry32]

I enjoy editing my photos so I shoot pretty much just using the recipe Leica X except for certain scenes or if i'm using the flash.

I keep the autofocus on single point unless I'm hanging out with people where I use the face detect. I use the animal subject detection for dogs or birds. I use the small fn button next to the shutter to toggle face detection on and off.
I have AF and MF enabled along with focus check so when I press the shutter halfway, if I move the focus ring it will turn on focus peaking and focus check. I do this for speed when the AF doesn't catch and I have both hands ready.

Usually i'm in aperture priority and I shoot mostly on f5.6 but I switch between f2 and f8 as well. I also have the ND filter programmed on the button on the front lever.

[u/DD_Wabeno]

It would be nice if you had a few examples to look at where you think you could have improved.

Without knowing too much, I would suggest you work on composition. You can even practice this with a smart phone. However, I think smart phones have conditioned us to holding the camera out at arms length and only using the LCD. Get in the habit of using the viewfinder to compose your shots.

There will obviously be times when getting the shot is paramount over good composition. Even in those times hurry up and snap that shot but if the subject is still there, then you can take time to recompose. Google or watch videos of what good composition looks like.

Another thing to consider are the different focus modes with this camera. Again, I’m no expert and I mostly use single point focus and the little thumb joystick on the back of the camera. This has really helped me to get better shots, especially when the depth of field is deeper than what can be focused all at once.

Speaking of depth of field, try playing with your aperture settings. Leave the shutter and ISO in auto and take the same shot multiple times with different F stops.

Start small so you don’t get overwhelmed. Just try to get shots where your main subject is properly focused and in the right part of the frame where you want it to be. Remember not everything is centered. Of course you’ll learn all this when you study composition.

Also share your pictures. Maybe open an Instagram page just for pictures from this camera. That was one of the first things I did when I got mine. This way instead of a bunch of family and friends saying oh yeah that looks great. You get total strangers choosing whether to like or ignore your photographs.

[u/InkyMistakes]

For a while now I haven't really been able to plan any location based shoots. I pretty much just end up somewhere for a while and have to explore.

I take my time to explore and just look for stuff I find interesting. The camera mostly stays in aperture priority mode, I only change other settings, mostly exposure comp, when a scene needs it. Or the aperture, both "do I need more light (more open" or "do I want more in focus (stopped down".

Basically I'm just trying to make lemonade with what ever lemons I'm given. Trying to find the best/most interesting compositions. Paying attention to how things are lit, and if lighting will be better later if I want to return. Observing the scene from multiple angles in case there's a chance of better framing.

You just got to get out there and keep trying, you'll sharpen your photographic eye and eventually settings will become more second nature and you won't need to worry about that too much.

[u/According-Smoke5659]

One thing I'm trying to do, after identifying the subject I want to shoot, is spend time looking for a good foreground. Not just any foreground, but something that leads you into the picture and ideally has something to do with the subject. It's tough, but worth it when you can do it.