Finding your viewpoint So far, we've identified some of the considerations that come into play when choosing your view- point or camera position, such as subject, light, and color. These initial assessments can all be done with the naked eye. Once you've established your starting point based on these factors, it's time to refine your viewpoint. Let's begin with the important step of arranging your composi- tional elements. Start by identifying the important elements present in the scene you plan to photograph--the promi- nent objects, lines, and shapes. adjustments are easily made by zooming in or out to perfect your chosen viewpoint. If framing and arrangement of elements appear similar to your visualization of the scene, set up your tripod and mount the camera on it. If what you see through the viewfinder doesn't move you, continue exploring. Usually, the first place you set up is not the best. By tweaking camera position and focal length, you can find the sweet spot where all of the composition's important elements fit together harmoni- ously. Perhaps shifting the camera slightly to the left or right relieves tension created by overlapping your inspection. Police the area around your subject for any "hand of man" distractions that might pull on the viewer's eye, such as Styrofoam cups, soda cans, or cigarette butts. They can disrupt the flow of your com- position and are much easier to physically remove from your scene now than to take them out later using digital methods. This is also the time to inspect your composition for the visual nuisance known as a "merger." Mergers occur wherever lines intersect in a composition. Normally, a composition contains many of these little intersections