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One thing that can separate a good photo from a great one is the details. This is an area that I have worked on improving yet still find that I have “Doh!” moments from time to time. Today’s image of a formal dining room is one such example.

When arranging the lighting for this wonderful room, I completely missed that the window blind on the left is positioned differently than the other two. It is not too noticeable on the window, but the difference in reflection on the hardwood floor kills the shot. If I were to shoot this room again, I would adjust all three blinds so they give the same amount of reflection on the floor. In fact I would probably shoot it twice, once with bright reflections (like the right two windows) and once with dull reflections (like the left window).

One easy tip for catching details when photographing is to make a quick pass around the composition with your eyes prior to shooting. I like to think of the scene like a clock dial and quickly scan the shot beginning at 12:00 and moving clockwise around the frame. When photographing people, a quick scan around the outline of their body (especially the head) will alert you to any details that need correcting.

How about you? What do you do in your photography to catch the little details?

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/20 second, f/5.6, ISO 100

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