All the tips from Nick for setting up a pre-shot checklist from Nick:

Many of the images taken while I’m traveling are what I would consider more editorial in nature and come from walking around and snapping images “off the cuff.” I keep my camera in my hand so that when I see something interesting, I compose and shoot.  The other portion of my images are more what I would call my “setup” images which I would define as more fine art style photographs.  For these images I take a lot more time composing and making sure everything is ready to go. Many times I will be shooting from a tripod, switching lenses and adding filters to get the effect I’m looking for. I tend to take fewer of these images when traveling, but the ones I do take tend to be my favorite images when I look back on the trip.  Because I take a bit more time on these images, I thought it might be a good idea to share how I setup these images and share my “pre-shot checklist” with you. 

When I’m shooting a setup shot I commit to taking my time. I put my bag down (if it’s safe) and I look around the scene. What is interesting? What is my favorite part about the scene? Don’t be afraid to take your time taking in the scene to really understand what you like and what you want to shoot.

Figure out what the scene requires. Do you need a tripod, any filters?  Take a moment to think about this. Maybe your scene has a lot of reflections and a polarizer might help cut down on the glare. Look at the settings on the camera. Make sure the Aperture, ISO, and Shutterspeed all make sense. Maybe you cranked the ISO to shoot in a dark church earlier in the day and now you are outside. Get your camera set up as close to the shot as you think. 

Taken at the Taj Mahal – Agra, India

Now that I’ve set up of the camera, I can take a picture. After I take the picture I like to make some adjustments to the camera. See what it looks like when the Aperture is big or small. What if I adjusted a little to the left or right?  How does that effect the scene?  Keep shooting until your happy, then once you’re done pick up and move to another spot. Hopefully you get a great shot, though sometimes you don’t. The keepers are hardly ever from my first spot. Don’t be afraid to work the scene and keep shooting. 

Taken at the Oberoi Udaivilas in Udaipur, India

As I said at the beginning of this post, this is how I approach a  photo when I want to take my time and really flush out a great image. It doesn’t mean photos taken off the cuff are bad, they just are different. I tend to get better images when I take my time and go through the checklist in my head. Sometimes this process goes quickly, other times it takes longer. It all depends on day and scene.