Are you a one hit wonder?
Common back in the fifties and sixties were musical groups that were successful with one hit records and not a comparable subsequent hit. It also applies to a sole artist who is remembered for only one hit despite other successes.
Once again I ask you to bear with me while I explain how this relates to you and your photography.
For those of you new to my blog, I teach an online class with the BPSOP, and I also conduct my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops around our hopefully round planet. I see my fellow photographers walking down the streets of old medieval villages and stopping for a photo op.
They will invariably walk up to a subject or location, shoot the first idea that comes to mind, and then move on leaving a lot still ‘on the table’. By the way, the photograph is usually taken at eye level since it’s the easiest and less stressful way to compose. STOP!!! Don’t leave…don’t be a one hit wonder!!
The odds of you taking one shot and walking away with what you think in a ‘wall hanger, a keeper, or one of those elusive OMG photos are slim, and Vegas wouldn’t book it. Even for me, and I’m a pretty good shooter.
Let me back up for a moment and explain how I would approach the same photo op. The first thing I do before raising my camera up to my eye is to determine the source of the light. In other words, what direction is it coming from. This is when “the clock” comes into play; check out this link!!
OK, so I’ve taken my first shot. Now, I look for variations and that doesn’t mean just zooming in or out while standing in the same spot!!
Here are some of the things I normally do:
- Up close and personal
- Change lens
- Up high then down low
- Different light
- Change a prop
- Put in a person, or take one out
- Look for something that might be unexpected or unpredictable.
When I’m shooting, I have one eye in the viewfinder and the other scouring the location for a way to segue my current composition into a stronger shot. As I’m shooting, I’m constantly making small to medium-sized adjustments besides the variations because like you, I’m always looking for that “OMG” shot!!!!
Visit my website at www.joebaraban.com, and check out my workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime.
JoeB
