"Insist on the composition"

Adrian is one of my favorite photographers working today. He writes:

I found this old building under construction and a bird that was hanging out on top of it.

I stopped there for a few minutes and started taking some exposures. Then the bird took off and I got a shot I loved.

I knew I had gotten something I would like, but I kept shooting for a few more minutes. If you are in front of a scene with elements that keep changing (here, not only the birds but also the Sun), be patient and insist on the composition.

Emphasis mine. I particularly like the admonition to "be patient and insist on the composition". That feels like something worth printing on a pin or button, or a sticker for your camera case.

It's something I don't do often enough. Particularly when shooting on the street or anywhere I'm around other people, I feel this (internal) pressure to move on, to make room, to not draw anyone's eye, to not be the asshole photographer getting in everyone else's way. It's a tendency I'm working on fighting so that I can insist properly on my composition.

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