The Photographer's Eye: Graphic Guide

PRECISION

Most of the time in photography there are more important things going on in front of the camera than exact alignments—things like expression, action, gesture—but occasionally we go for a shot that inevitably calls for precision. The word “inevitably” sounds a little severe, but this example should explain. This is La Purísima Concepción Mission in northern California, and among other viewpoints and compositions there was this gate in a long adobe wall. Very simple, almost minimalist, especially in an early morning mist. And on the other side of the large courtyard, an identical gateway in the far wall. So was this inevitable? For me, yes, because from an angle the gateway would be skewed, and from any head-on position that showed the ...