My completed grocery list.
So many of my students that I teach online with the BPSOP, and in my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshop I conduct around the planet, just grab a camera and go out with the intent of finding and shooting that “OMG” photo that we all yearn for. Well, that’s all well and good, and I say more power to you and good luck; it just might be your lucky day.
Of course, shooting early in the morning and late in the afternoon will greatly increase your chances, but without some kind of a plan, I wouldn’t bet on it. Your odds go down further if you don’t know where to go to begin looking for that elusive “keeper”.
As I tell fellow photographers and my students, light is everything so before I go off “half-cocked”, I want to know exactly where the light is going to be. I do that with the readout I get from Sunpath, a software program for determining where and when the sun will rise and set. I then use a hand bearing compass called a Morin2000 to locate the point on the horizon where the sun will come up and go down.
If I’m going to be at a location large enough of an area to offer several possibilities, I’ll plan out a shot list to determine which subject I want to take first. What I mean by that is what area will get the first light, then what area gets in next, and so on; until the light has become too hot and harsh and I stop. I’m looking for what subject I can backlight, sidelight, and put into the “Angle of Reflection, or what’s also referred to as “The Law of the Light“. This is predicated on the idea that I’ve pre-scouted the location before the day of the shoot which would be a very good habit for everyone to get into.
Along with my shot list, I begin working on my grocery list. I’ll write down what I’ll need to take that particular photo, as in props, people, additional wardrobe, etc. This is along with my regular “bag of solutions” I always try to include because you just never know and as Eddie Adams once said, “When you get lucky, be ready”.
If your interests are “just taking halfway decent pictures” (I was told this by a student right before he dropped out) then I suggest you ignore this post and continue down whatever path you’ve laid out for yourself. If you’re interested in taking your photography what I refer to as “up a notch”, then try doing it the way I’ve been doing it for over fifty years.
🙂
Visit my website at www.joebaraban.com and check out my workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come work on your grocery list with me sometime.
JoeB
