The Pixel Fairy is Dead

I have bad news for all photographers.

Sadly, I need to inform you there is no such thing as a Pixel Fairy.

No, the Pixel Fairy does not visit your camera overnight and add unwanted pixels. Neither does the Pixel Fairly remove pixels that you placed on the sensor. As the photographer, YOU and YOU ALONE are responsible for all 18 million pixels (or whatever your camera happens to be) each and every time you release the shutter.

Proof the Pixel Fairy is dead - how many framing problems can you spot here?

I'm talking about framing - in fact I'm talking about bad framing and the wasting of pixels.

A few years ago I had the pleasure of co-delivering a seminar with photographer extroardinaire Michael Coyne. He exhorted photographers to 'think before you shoot'.

Poor framing is lazy photography.

Look at the scene then frame through the viewfinder.

Poor framing usually means:

• unwanted mergers like a pole growing out of someone's head
• Overlapping bodies in travel scenes
• Including blown out highlights in the frame (resulting in lost shadow detail)
• Amputation of fingers, toes and hands
• Including distracting but non-informative items - eg the tip of a tree branch 
• Cropping to pano so your 20Mp image becomes 10Mp

Look beyond your subject. Make the elements surrounding your subject add to the story.

Join a Dale Neill workshop at UWA Extension. Click HERE for details. 

Portrait photographers, enter Western Australia's premiere photographic competition - the Fremantle International Portrait Prize. Click HERE for details.