Patience

What is my biggest challenge to becoming a great photographer?

Patience.

It takes patience to capture those brilliant shots. Anyone who has accompanied me on a shoot can attest to the fact that at first I tend to wander around bemoaning the fact that I don’t have “the eye” yet. I frantically look for potential compositions until something – a play of light, a juxtaposition of foreground and background – catches my eye. I take a few shots, evaluate the exposure, maybe recompose. This tends to wake up my “eye” and more images jump out at me. I then flit around like a hummingbird, working the shots here, there, everywhere. One great shot may only take two exposures while another requires a few more to get the lighting right. Inevitably, I slam into a difficult shot that tests my compositional and technical abilities. At this point, you could say I’ve hit a wall. (Is there such a term as “photographer’s block”?) Things go downhill from there; my eye disappears, my back aches, my toes tingle with the cold.

There goes my patience for the day.

I can capture great images. I know my camera like I know my television remote control, and I have a keen visual sense for composition. Unfortunately, I miss great shots because I pass up opportunities due to pickiness or get bored and move on.

It never fails that when I view my pictures after a shoot, I realize that with a little more work I could have brought home dozens of great shots.

I’ll think to myself: If only I had noticed that I was shooting at f2.8 on that first shot that woke up my eye; I didn’t need so much depth-of-field. Or, why didn’t I notice the powerlines in the background? Or, crap, my focus was off for that wonderful two-exposure shot. Or, how could I not have noticed that my third attempt at the difficult shot was heading in the right direction?

Pondering these problems, I now realize that the crucial question for my creative process is:

How can I exhibit a higher level of patience to capture great images more consistently?

I’ve come up with the following answers.

1. Learn something from the mediocre shots

To get my eye working, I tend to wander around looking for the perfect shot. I can only assume that I am passing up decent shots that would open me up to my environment.

Solution: Take a breath, relax, and grab those simple, imperfect, warm-up shots. Have fun. In the digital world, film is cheap, right?  So why not let my eye play around.

2. Step back and reevaluate the full scene

I have a knack for composing images, but I tend toward tunnel vision.

Solution: Practice working outside my typical visual “box”; step back and see the forest for the trees. Can I zoom out and place the object in better balance with the rest of the scene? How about zooming in to ensure that the patch of weeds in the near-foreground aren’t so distracting? What will the clouds and sun be doing in a couple of minutes?

3. Take advantage of the camera

I normally analyze the histogram and highlights view to ensure the correct exposure, but there are so many other technical settings that could improve the image.

Solution: Don’t move on to the next shot until I’ve considered all that my camera has to offer. Do I really have the foreground object in focus? How about the aperture, could I open it up a bit more? What about the shutter speed to freeze the action or allow a little motion-blur to creep in?

Moving forward I will add these three tasks to my pre-shoot checklist. Every time I head out for a shoot I’ll remind myself to take a chance, take my time, and take in the sights.