When I got lucky, I was ready
Eddie Adams was a Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist that was known for his photo essays while being a combat photographer during the Viet Nam war.
One of my all time favorite quotes was said by Eddie, and while it refers to all the combat photographers who risked their lives, I’ve always applied it to my photography. I’ve also included it in my teachings with the BPSOP, my online students, as well as my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct around the planet.
Eddie Adams said, “When you get lucky, be ready”. It’s easy to see how this quote can relate to war photographers, but how does it relate to civilians…like most of us for example?
I shoot predominately early in the morning and late in the evening when the light is the most dramatic and the shadows are long. As a result, it comes and goes very quick; sometimes you have seconds to see/think/compose/shoot.
After forty-two years of shooting, I’ve learned that you just never know when that extremely elusive “OMG” photo is going to materialize. It can come at any time and when it does, you better know (literally) where you stand.
So having said that, the first thing I do when I arrive at a location is to find out the direction of the sun. Since my favorite way to shoot is to side and backlight, I look for subject matter that will get that kind of light.
The next thing I do is to shoot some random exposures with nothing more in mind except to get the proper camera settings…just in case. If I have just one shot at it, I want it to be very close; close enough to work on it in post if need be. I will tell you that the challenge and sense of achievement in nailing the exposure in the camera beats sitting in front of a computer any day. To me, that’s what being a really good shooter is all about!!!
OK, there’s another part of the “OMG “ photo equation and that’s being able to anticipate the action; a good street shooter will know what I mean. I spent the early part of my career as a stringer for Blackstar, UPI then AP, so I did a lot of street shooting. By anticipating a person’s next move, whether it be as a gesture or a change in their body language, a plane, train, or automobile coming or going, or an action solely created by Mother Nature, I can now be ready for that split second I have to click the shutter. With my camera settings already in place, I stand a good chance of coming home with the bacon!!!
Here are some examples of being ready when I got lucky
Visit my website at www.joebaraban.com, and check out my 2012 workshop schedule. Come shoot with me sometime.
JoeB
Hi. The best pictures I have taken were lucky ones as well, and I noticed that most of yours are of people in action (not posing) relating to the scene. andrea reti
Andrea,
I’ve always loved to “people watch”, so when I have a camera in my hands, I study people and try to anticipate what they’re going to do and be ready for it when it happens. I find that if you watch someone long enough they won’t disappoint you.
JoeB
Thanks Gregory for the words!!!
JoeB
Thanks for the words.
JoeB