Think ! (about your photo)

[Kym]

Due to a discussion elsewhere I've been reminded of IBM's Thomas Watson's famous THINK motto.

http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/mu...ons/think.html
"Thought," he says, "has been the father of every advance since time began. 'I didn't think' has cost the world millions of dollars."

So with digital photography do we just shoot away or do we think first?
How many times do we mess up a photo because we didn't engage our brain first?

Do you have a plan when you go out? Please suggest more!

Before you leave check list
- Camera
- Charged batteries
- Memory card(s)
- Right lenses
- Tripod, flash and filters
- Reflectors
- Bulb release cable or remote
- Other gear (eg. chargers, garbags to kneel on or use as rain protection etc.)

Before you start shooting check list
- ISO
- Shooting mode (single, continuous, timer)
- Other menu settings
- M, Av, Tv etc
- Manual or Auto Focus

Each shot check list
- Focus
- Composition (rule of thirds, lines and angles)
- Light and reflections
- Flash
- Exposure (+/- Ev)

Safety
- Don't step backwards without looking first
- Be aware of you surroundings
- Be careful in the bush (snakes, spiders, bees etc.)

[ricktas]

I also consider what I want to shoot. If its landscapes, I will tend to plan my shoot around time of day. I think about what filters I might/will use, where the sun will be, maybe what the tide is doing if I am going to the waters edge etc.

I think about how I want the final photo to look, what I want in the scene, and what I don't. I also try and arrive early, so I have time to scout around for the best view, and can take my time setting up etc.

[Nic076]

I usually think about my shots - certainly more than when I first started anyway . In saying that a lot of photos I am happy with, I have not had the kids with me so there is something in having the time to think and compose a shot. That is why I value the AP meets so very much.

Could I do more thinking & planning - absolutely

[Jules]

I think about most of my shots, but then I concentrate on landscapes, macro and still life which means I can take my time setting up shots, trying different framing, experimenting with DOF etc. I rarely do any action/sports/wildlife shots where (I imagine) you have to react faster and have less time to think.

[kiwi]

Not thinking is perfect for us sport togs

[CAP]

Depends on the situation, in my case.
I pretty much have, "before you leave and start shooting" covered but for the last two items I am found wanting on occasions.
Esspecially noticable when out taking the MTB pics. (MTB = mountain bike)
There are times when once going to the trouble of initial settings I keep shooting away for some ordinary "at best" results, not realising the changing light conditions etc.
Having said that I am getting more aware in recent times and yield has improved.
If time is available I will review each pic as it's reeled off, but this is not often possible when there is a lot of riders on the hill.
As far as the safety aspect goes, I am forever going **** over, tripping over branches, rocks etc when out in the bush / up on the track. There was a time I kicked a frilled neck lizard in the head while rushing to get a better position to shoot from. He/she wasn't happy and needless to say scared the crap out of me.
Come to think of it, "it wouldn't be sport's photography if it wasn't sport would it?"
Once I tote a tripod along for macro, landscape etc photos, an automatic -
"take some time to think about what I'm doing function" kicks in and I the decision making process is somewhat more structured.

[David]

I try to have an alternative site or another option in mind when I leave home.

Researching a site by googling it and looking at other peoples images also gives some ideas about how to shoot the site and the conditions, location, safety issues etc. and I try to do the same amount of research on a nearby place so i have an alternative if the conditions dont suit my first planned site.

You might have checked out things for seascapes for example and found that the low tide matches up with sunrise and think, ok, tomorrow Im going to do seascape sunrise images and use the rocks and sand and low tide water to catch reflections of light and compose an interesting foreground and.... off you go, 4am, and its raining, teaming down...for an hour either side of sunrise and youve travelled 100KS to get there and.. nada. no result.

Happened to me a few times so now I look for alternative things to do when the weather conditions dont suit what I want and research an alternative site for shooting if the seascape bombs out. For example, a planned trip to the Sunshine Coast to do seascape sunrises failed so I went to Buderim Falls instead after dawn and the cloudy weather conditions suited the rainforest alternative.
'
That means carting more lenses and filters and so on with you but the trip isnt wasted. The other thing Ive learnt is that if the conditions are absolute garbage for the day you are there you can use the time and place to scout for future photo shoots. I did that at the Glasshouse Mountains in QLD one day when it was pouring rain and awfully dark sky an blahhh conditions. Located some unique places to compose images of Mt Tibrogargan and took a couple of 'test' shots and kept them on my computer and when the conditions were right went back there and shot the scene again, much better.

on SAFETY I say hunt in pairs,.....many times Ive been alone in a rainforest or bushland somewhere out in the middle of nowhere and come a cropper and put myself at risk with falls etc. but there are also weirdos out there who can freak you out if you are alone.

One time at the end of Nudgee Road I go the feeling i should not be there when 2 men came out of a van at 4am asking me *** I was doing there with a camera; needless to say Boondall Wetlands didnt get a gurnsey that day and David NEVER went there again alone. Another time I was walking down the track to Purlingbrook Waterhole alone at 5am and a bloke comes by the other way with a rifle slung over his shoulder, says Gday as he wanders past with a smile, and left me A. Wondering.. what the.... and B. Extremely paranoid for a good hour.

So yeah, dont go alone unless you absolutely have to and have an alternative shooting site option in mind and if your going bush TELL SOMEONE WHERE YOU ARE GOING. ..seems so basic but how often do we forget/neglect to do that one ?

Cheers

David.

[atky]

Motorsport photography tends to be spontaneous as you shoot as it happens.
But a plan is needed to get good spontaneous shots you need to plan for the look you want to achieve and plan the location you need to be in to get the spontaneous shot.
The only problem with a plan is you must be flexible enough to change it as you go, so is it a plan if it changes as you go yes it is, dos this mean you think about your photo yes but you need to do more than think you need to PLAN.

[kiwi]

My only plan for sport photography is who the client is that day and what they want

[Kym]

Motorsport photography tends to be spontaneous as you shoot as it happens.
But a plan is needed to get good spontaneous shots you need to plan for the look you want to achieve and plan the location you need to be in to get the spontaneous shot.
The only problem with a plan is you must be flexible enough to change it as you go, so is it a plan if it changes as you go yes it is, does this mean you think about your photo yes but you need to do more than think you need to PLAN.

Good point.
But you do have your camera setup ready to go, eg. ISO, Shooting mode, Av or Tv, Right lens, Manual or AF, etc. That does not mean your not flexible.

[kiwi]

I dont, I'd like to assess the environment at the time rather than prejudge - that's just a recipe for complacency

I do make sure I have all the equipment I need, but, I always do all the settings in situ.

[Analog6]

I tend to do most of this just by habit. I've been taking ophotographs for about 45 years now (no, not continuously) and I adjust for what I am going to shoot, eg early morning, surfing, landscapes etc.

I always set the cameras to Tv 1/125 when I put them away as this is my 'grab setting' and usually enables a snap shot under most conds incl flash if something arises.

If I've done a fair bit of shooting the batteries go stra\sight to the charger when I get home, as I download.

[ving]

before i go out i have set in my mind what sort of photo i am going to take and pack and dress accordingly.

-birding: i take the long lens and flash only, i dress in clothes i dont mind getting dirty. set camera to either AV or manual, aperture to f8 and if manual SS to 1/200.
-landscape: take what ever lens i think is appropriate for the shot i want to take, 99% of the time its just the kit lens but i take my small camera bag with nifty 50 and flash too just in case as well as tripod and if i remember remote too. i take auto iso off if its on and do the rest of the setting on the fly depending on what i want.

[Dylan & Marianne]

I usually try to consider hard what I want to shoot, what angle and what time of day /lighting.
Especially when going overseas to locations you're not likely to return to, I find I type in some key words in flickr , deviantart and smugmug , look for some images that I like and I often contact the people who took them about how to get to those locations etc.
I try to take nearly all of my shots on a tripod for a few reasons:
- forces me to compose more than I would if I just stood in awe and snapped away
- allows me the option of taking bracketed shots at many differenct exposures and manually too
- removes the limitation of shutter speed and aperture that would otherwise limit and handheld shot in situations.

despite this, I've still made so many errors - forgetting cable releases, forgetting I put filters in the wrong bag etc etc .....even once forgot the CF card was still in the PC .....

[mcdesign]

I usually go out to shoot a particular thing so have lenses etc ready, BUT things can change in an instant and you have to be ready for that too...I still make a lot of boo boos and am never satisfied!

[Nanny]

I need to think more I must admit I use auto settings alot.

[Lani]

I shoot more people, animals etc....so a fair bit of planning goes into what I want to capture from them, such as the personality and behaviours and how I am going to relate to them to try and bring it out, have the right gear to get it.
Animals...treats, water available, calm environment, have them be bathed and exercised before hand. etc.
People... sort of the same.

Then, you do a wedding and all the planning under the sun doesn't stop you having to adapt quickly to circumstances changing fast.


Having said that, sometimes it's just fun to go out and shoot spontaneously and see what happens.

[Miaow]

I do try to think about shots - especially ISO and depth - sometimes I realise after I've taken shots I could have done better settings I probably need to think more lol

[arthurking83]

I'm with Rick, and usually to an extreme level.

I think I think too much.
I know what I want(from a scene) or have thought of a particular way to capture it, and if the light is not as I wanted it to be, I don't bother, even though the light may be OK.

I think I need to plan, and/or expect just a little less from a place, and just try to get more out of what's there when I get there.

Other issues I have is which way did I just come from, and which way do I want to go back(I usually vary it just for the sake of variety). I know what's back there and there's definitely a scene to capture at a particular time of day, but I think about the unknown alternatives in coming home a different way.
Usually I'll regret it, although occasionally it works out too.

planning is good, and helps to get the best outcome out of a spot, but being overly fussy sometimes is a drawback too.

That's landscapes.. all other forms of photography I just spray and pray

[pgbphotographytas]

I am very guilty of not thinking enough about what I am taking rather just snapping away but the advice above is good and I will be keeping it in mind for the future.

Paul