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My question is, how do you avoid being so caught up with a certain aspect of a picture, that you lose site of other seemingly obvious problems.
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Jane,
I have never forgotten something Karen Wells said a couple of years ago. It's context was so casual and matter of fact, but it had a serious impact on me. She said something close to -- I don't worry so much any more about how to paint, I worry about what to paint. There's a lot going on in that statement for me.
Your execution seems pretty good to me, but execution will never win back a flawed design. I think the arms should have been a deal breaker, no matter how many other things were right.
To answer your question above .. when we are photographing a subject in a head and shoulder pose there are fewer details to consider. Fewer, but plenty. The collar, the hair, the shadowing on the face, the position of the nose, chin, maybe a hand to cheek. If you extrapolate these considerations to the much more complex composition that you have above it can seem a little overwhelming.
When the subject matter starts getting complex by exponential factors, more planning must be done. For example: trips to the site days in advance to scout the exact position of the subject in relation to the morning or afternoon light, the position of the subject in relation to the background, the relation of the subjects to one another, and other information that can only be obtained with a site visit. The data gathered from these expeditions can be used to formulated an overall plan of attack.
When the time comes you try your best to execute the plan. When you've exhausted (or ditched) that pose you then begin to improvise a second plan based on the real data that is before you. And you continue until everyone is exhausted or you are out of film.
It goes without saying that you shoot many (seemingly) duplicate shots of the same pose. And this goes directly to your question -- your biggest friend is repetition. No two images are exactly the same. What may be a deal breaker in one instance will be a prize winner one second later.
I strive to get the whole enchilada into one image. I hate having to combine images, background from here, hands from there. Your chances of success (unless you possess wizardry like others we know here) begin to diminish rapidly when you have to mix images.
I'm a big advocate of creating mock exercises. Simulations of real circumstances when it's on your nickle. Dream something up, gather the necessary characters and do it.
More planning, combined with repetition will reduce the need for luck. Then, luck will favor the prepared mind.