Focus on the Subject but Concentrate on the Background

All too often an object, person or landscape appears in such detail that distracting elements are overlooked. Digitally removing them is tedious and unrewarding. As many great photographers have repeated, especially Ansel, begin with the best negative possible. It saves time and frustration. This is still true in the pixel age. Motor drives and infinite disk storage do not guarantee a great photograph. This is not to say that multiple exposures, bracketing and varying the camera angle are not important but cleaning up the subject area can mean the difference between a snapshot and "whoooaaa." I used to expend rolls of film, shotgunning the motor drive in the hope of getting The One when I had all the time in the world to compose correctly. When time allows, Be The Ball, Danny, and hang out for a while. Take some time to look, both with and without the viewfinder. Get closer, move around and then swim a bit in the frame to check the edges. More fun will be spent during the moment of making the image than annoying your family while you sequester yourself for hours, trying to erase branches, hands and corners of buildings.