At the far end of the scale from fast-reaction street photography is the deliberate, time-consuming process of shooting static subjects with the camera on a tripod. Still-life and architecture are the two subject areas that most embody this kind of composition, in which the image is constructed, either through selecting and positioning the subjects themselves (as in still-life) or by carefully exploring the camera viewpoints in relation to lens focal length. Or both.

Having the time and facility to work on image composition like this does not necessarily make it easier than reportage. Rather, the skills are different, and require prolonged attention and a rigorous and thoughtful approach. Stephen Shore, describing his large-format pictures of American urban settings, compared the process with fly-fishing and the unwavering attention needed to feel the end of the line. "Without constant pressure the timing falters, and so does the fly line, leaving the caster with a disconnected, where-did-it-go feeling. Of course, it's very possible to take pictures without constantly paying attention to every decision that needs to be made, but my experience was that when my attention wandered and I started making decisions automatically, there was something missing in the pictures and I was left with that where-did-it-go feeling:"

This is an instructive passage because it expresses very accurately the complexity of organizing a detailed image with many interlocking components. To viewers accustomed to more spontaneous kinds of photography, the painstakingly ordered still-life or architectural view may at first appear cold and over-calculated.