#035

Please note that this content was recorded in 2020 and in accordance with any Covid-19 restrictions at the time.
This video shows a technique I was shown years ago using a framing device to place over the landscape to help find a composition. It is an approach that I still use today to help me assess whether there is a picture worth capturing - and that is before the camera even comes out of the bag.
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Kit used to create this video. These are Amazon affiliate links. If you use these links to purchase any item from Amazon, I get a small percentage which helps support my work.
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All images and video are copyright Huw Alban
🎵 Music Track Info:
Title: Upbeat Corporate by JP Bianchini
Genre and Mood: Cinematic + Inspirational
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Creative Commons - Attribution 3.0 Unported - CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: bit.ly/upbeat-...
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[@lennarthalvarsson399]

I have been searching for this. You found it! And I will buy it. Thanks Huw!

[@huwalban]

Thank you Lennart. Hope it gives you the same benefit that I found :)

[@RDennisCrawford]

Same

[@timrosenburgh9485]

Hi Huw, Enjoyed the video with your little gadget. I think that is a good idea. Some nice images as well.

[@huwalban]

Thank you Tim. Most kind. Good to talk to you this evening. Stay well

[@ChrisPattonPhotography]

Interesting bit of kit Huw, like you say could save time getting all your camera gear out only to find the composition doesn't work. Enjoyed watching 👍

[@huwalban]

Thanks Chris. It has been a godsend for me in the past, and is always in my bag "just in case"

[@lensman5762]

This is a handy gadget to aid with ' visualisation ', but these days everyone has a mobile phone device and ' view finder ' apps are available that would make the task rather easy. Some apps are more sophisticated than others. They become much more useful for those of us who shoot medium and large format film as the cost of shooting film can become prohibitively expensive if mistakes are made in composition. I usually find that with my EM5 MKII the square format mode is the one that gets used more often.

[@huwalban]

I think I mention this in the video, but I find using a phone to "frame find" is still too close to the act of creating an image - for me anyway. This plastic frame is so far removed from the act of taking an actual photograph that it really forces that internal conversation with regard to whether an image is really there. It is an individual choice of course, and the same solution will not work for everyone. Stay safe.

[@photographerdream387]

Reminded me of the movie producers who used two hands to frame a scene. Great approach especially if you need a tripod set up with accessories and don't wan to drag the equipment around out of the bag.

[@huwalban]

Exactly the point I was trying to make, but as per other comments what works for one person may not for another. This is just an approach and nothing more. Thanks for watching. It is appreciated.

[@ismailzahir4655]

I have been using a series of cardboard viewers that I made myself. Cumbersome and not useful in wet weather. I’ve ordered one of these view catchers today - thanks for the tip.

[@huwalban]

Hello Ismail. I have done exactly the same as you in using offcuts of mountboard - perhaps their only advantage is that they are cheap and can be easily replaced. Hope the View Catcher works for you, and thanks for watching.

[@houssameddinekharty9102]

In the days of film I did start using a plastic 35mm slide mount as a 'view catcher' but it was very small and not ideal, however, it did teach me the vital lesson of slowing down and really looking at the scene in front of me from a variety of angles and even heights. Now I tend to look around from different viewpoints, getting on my knees or standing on a rock/fence to see if that can improve the shot. I must confess I still find distractions around the edges when I process the shots at home sometimes, or bright highlights I didn't notice at the time, so might give a view catcher a try to see if it can improve things!

[@huwalban]

Thank you. Photographer Steve Gosling still does exactly what you describe. Another option of course is to just get an old piece of mountboard and cut an aperture to your ratio and of course size - cheap and can just be re-cut if it gets a bit too "dog-eared" :)

[@houssamkh3949]

I work more with moving subjects and seldom take landscapes. I rarely carry a tripod with me and find them awkward, although I am beginning to use a monopod.

[@huwalban]

I started out shooting Formula One at Silverstone. Those things are waaay too fast for a tripod. I did try a monopod for the really long lenses but I just couldn't get on with it so taught myself to steady handhold using the same techniques as Olympic target shooters :) Thanks for watching.

[@juanitakelly3082]

Yes, I think I will get one of these as well. I don't seem to do well with my cell phone for scouting and composing. It looks like this would give you more of a 3D perspective as well ad takes out all the business without a lot of squinting or wasting battery using the screen. I think I recall reading that Ansel Adams used a similar framing technique. Thanks for the tip!

[@juanitakelly3082]

Looks like it may be currently unavailable on Amazon but I'll keep watching for it.

[@juanitakelly3082]

Correction - found it on my US version of Amazon. Your link is the UK version of course!

[@huwalban]

@@juanitakelly3082 Fantastic that you found it! I agree with your comment on using a mobile, and I think I mentioned it in the video as well. The other comment I would make about using the mobile is that - unless you are deliberately creating a square image - the frame proportions will all be wrong.

[@appleinc1539]

Interesting, pity about the wind noise.

[@huwalban]

Yeah, I agree. I have now invested in some mufflers and used lockdown here in England to give them a thorough test. Hopefully will not be such a problem going forward. Thank you for watching.

[@المتفوقفيالمعلوميات-ش2ي]

Interesting concept. It is all about slowing down and visualizing the image before pressing the shutter. Where can you obtain one of these frames? Thank you.

[@huwalban]

I got mine from Amazon. There is a link to the item on Amazon.co.uk in the description. Thank you for watching.

[@huwalban]

I've just had a look at Amazon UK and right now they are out of stock. Instead then I just Googled on Artists View Catcher and found all sorts of outlets that stock and sell it. Hopefully one of these will work for you.

[@worldstars633]

I have my phone handy and my camera and I can make a square with my thumbs and forefingers.

[@huwalban]

Nothing wrong with that approach either. Essentially it is whatever works for the individual at the end of the day.

[@Crawd.]

Interesting but I will need to be convinced that it is better than using my camera - if only because it is another bit of equipment ....

[@huwalban]

I know lots of people for whom this approach works. I also know lots people that use their phones to do the same purpose, as well as those that can look at a scene and in their minds eye draw a frame around it. We are all wired differently, and this approach works for me. I also find that - sometimes - just having the camera in my hand can make me lazy. That I'll take a frame but deep down I know that I'll delete it when I get home.