I’m looking back at this image from last year’s Hokkaido tour, as I just revisited the same location a few weeks back. Last year I was able to fit the copse on the right under the centred tree, and do the same with the single tree on the left.

This year, I did not see the same composition at all and it reminded me how difficult it was to get into the right position last year to make this shot work. If memory serves me correctly, the camera was literally lying in the snow, sitting on the floor and my tripod had been put to one side. It was the only way to avoid the side trees crashing into the centre tree.

Tripod height is a major factor in composition. But sometimes I need to go lower than my tripod can manage (I own a tripod without a centre column, but I still find occasions where I need to camera to be lying on the ground).

This is where I think viewfinder design is critical. For my old analog camera, I use a 45º viewfinder, so I can place the camera on the ground and still see the composition. For digital shooters the live view is important, and perhaps an angled viewfinder doubly so.