Photo Tip of the Week: Know When to Shoot

Despite the rising tide of technological development in both camera hardware and post-production software, recognising the right moment to shoot is still critical, says Robert Keeley.

A recent survey of Australians by a major camera manufacturer uncovered the perhaps unsurprising news that almost two thirds of those involved believed they saw too many photos in a day to recall them, and they thought most were trivial. In the digital age, where an ocean of images is drowning many people in too much information, it’s easy to see how this attitude can develop. It’s arguably a little harder to do something about it. But on an individual level, it becomes important for every photographer to think about how and when they shoot.

It makes sense that the more you see of something, the less you’re likely to value it, and this now applies to digital photography. It’s incumbent upon each of us who values images to take some action to even up that equation. But how do you do so?

The answer lies in thinking counter-intuitively and developing a “photographer’s mindset”. This isn’t some vague concept. It encompasses a focused approach in learning to recognise when it’s worthwhile to lift a camera up, and when it’s important not to.

The difference between professional shooters and amateurs (or Joe Citizen with a mobile phone and a steak he wants to photograph for his blog) is they have trained their eye and mind to see a significant photographic moment. Of course, even the best photographers miss potentially important shots sometimes. But it happens less often, and that's because they have trained themselves to see the world photographically and anticipate important photographic moments before they happen.

It’s not magic or a fluke that professionals capture consistently great images, and that consistency doesn’t rely upon top-line equipment or fantastic post-production skills (though they definitely help).

So how do you train your eye and your mind – your instinct – to recognise a key photographic moment? Here’s a beginner’s primer on how to reach that space.

01 THINK BEFORE YOU SHOOT

Every photographer who aspires to improving their craft at some point should take plenty of pictures. In the digital age you can take a lot and it won’t cost you much. By studying these images critically you can start to see where your mistakes are happening, and then work out how to correct them.  Digital photography can definitely fast-track your learning process. But another important element of this process is now frequently ignored. Before you shoot a series of images, it’s worth putting your camera down, and simply thinking about your subject.

Manufacturers like to tell consumers how easy it is to take digital photos, but they don’t talk much about leaving your camera behind. If you want to take a stunning landscape image, put some thought into it beforehand. Visit the location, note how a sunrise (or a sunset) impacts upon it. Take your time and come back on different days (or if it’s a potentially great spot, even return in different seasons). Don’t take your camera, because before anything else, taking a great photo is about developing a vision.

To get great pictures you need to develop an instinct for them, and to do that you need to have the right mindset. For beginners (and even those who are more experienced) occasionally leaving your camera behind forces you to stop thinking about shooting, and start absorbing life with your eyes. The great Depression-era photographer Dorothea Lange famously said, “A camera is an instrument that teaches people to see without a camera.” But in the digital age the opposite also applies. Learn to see first without looking at your screen or viewfinder, then pick up your camera again.


Once you have spent some time thinking about the style of images you want, when the moment arises for quick reflex actions, you'll be well prepared.


02 CONTEMPLATE A THEME

One great way to stretch your photographic thinking is to develop a theme. This could be easier than you might think. Most enthusiasts who become interested in photography initially do so because they’re keen to record some aspect or interest in their life, whether it be their children, their pets, a favourite sporting activity, or even just pretty sunsets. So make your keenest interest a more formal theme for a period of time.

By combining that with the previous step, you will be on the road to improving your photography. Whatever your theme, if you study it in more depth – without a camera – you’ll begin to notice key moments. Whether your child plays with a ball, your pet sprints across a paddock, or a friend scores a goal or hits a great stroke, you’ll be tuning in to the nuances of your chosen theme. This is the first step towards developing your photographic eye. You don’t need a camera to do this, and it may even be counter-productive for beginners to have one.

At this point you’re not even contemplating the technicalities of taking a picture, you’re simply tuning your mind to the opportunities. Undertake this activity for a while, all the time observing what you perceive as the peak moments of the action or activity. Later you can think about other themes which might not be your first interest. These will be good ways to stretch your creative thinking.


During this football tournament I wanted to pursue a series of images as close to the action as possible. When a distance kicking competition took place, I was ready to move in close to shoot the style of image I was after.


03 TAKE LESS PHOTOS

Once you’ve tried the above approaches to your photography, think about one more counter-intuitive idea – taking fewer photos. That’s not just because we’re now overflowing with digital ‘content’, but more importantly because taking fewer photos is another technique you can use to think more strategically about each image, and place more value upon it.

Around 20 years ago the renowned National Geographic nature and wildlife photographer Jim Brandenburg set himself an unusual assignment. Concerned that he had possibly become burned out by the process of shooting multitudes of images (and this in the days of film!), he decided he would spend 90 days simply shooting one picture each day – no more and no less – around his woodland home town of Ely, Minnesota in the US. It was a personal project, but the concept became so daunting and so challenging for Brandenburg it resulted in a powerful story in National Geographic magazine.

Eventually, the editors of the journal published every one of his images and they were all outstanding. But for Brandenburg, the discipline involved in slowing down and valuing each image proved a life-changing challenge for him. The series of images – the North Woods journal – is still regarded today as one of the great nature portfolios. The editor of National Geographic at the time said Brandenburg’s story carried the most images they had ever used in one feature, produced with the least amount of film.

Think more, shoot less, and get your eyes away from a digital screen. Dorothea Lange also once said, “While there is a province in which the photograph can tell us nothing more than what we see with our own eyes, there is another in which it proves to us how little our eyes permit us to see.”


Sporting action requires quick instinctive reactions to shoot at peak moments. This will only come with practice and lots of trial and error, but it helps to observe the particular sport in some detail beforehand, so you'll know when those peak moments are more likely to occur.



Landscape scenes require a very different approach. After some research I worked out that this waterfall could only be photographed in full light within a narrow afternoon time frame. At different times of year it also presents very different scenes. It took a long period of observation over many months to work out the best times of day, seasons, and weather in which to shoot this scene.



Sometimes the best time to shoot can be worked out relatively quickly. Walking along this seashore it became apparent the rising sun would offer a good opportunity to shoot this seascape. I returned the next morning to capture it, but the initial assessment was done without a camera, by simply keeping an eye open for photographic opportunities.