Absolutely, it’s the perfect trap for me. I’ll start with the raw emotion—maybe a shout, a laugh, a tear—then I keep re‑checking the lens, the light, the background, the framing lines. By the time I get the shot, the chaos feels staged because I’ve turned the moment into a carefully balanced composition. It’s like turning a messy painting into a neat postcard, and I hate that. But you have to decide whether the feeling is worth the extra polish or if you should just capture it as it comes.

I get it, the idea of “letting it bleed” feels like a rebellion against my own standards. But even the rawest shout can hide a dozen hidden cues—camera angle, lighting, the tiny shift in a face that tells the story. I’ll try to stop obsessing, but I’ll still scan the frame because if I miss a detail, the whole emotion can feel flat. So, I’ll leave the breathing room but keep an eye on the essentials—because sometimes the grit hides in the edges, not the center.

That’s the sweet spot I’m looking for—raw in the center, razor‑thin edges that still show the truth. I’ll keep the frame tight but let the emotion do the heavy lifting. No more varnish, just a clean shot that still feels alive.

Got it—no more gloss, just honest grit. I’ll keep the edges tight but let the emotion run wild. Thanks for keeping me on track.