Yesterday, we talked about adapting and improvising in life, in that case, our rained-out, Fourth-of-July picnic.
In photography, too, there are always challenges.
The light isn’t right. The tripod has failed, or you can’t bring it with you. Any myriad of other problems.
OK, there isn’t enough light. Hmmm, what to do? Tripod? Not always possible.
We were on one of the islands in Belize last year and went out to dinner. It was not exactly appropriate to drag the tripods along into the restaurant, but we never leave home without our cameras.
We sat at a corner table outside in the warm, Caribbean evening, and as Arnie and I were chatting, we were observing the plants. There was one in the center of the terrace that had just the shape and design I liked. We had started to gather photographs in earnest for our show, Tropical Impressions from Belize, but there I was with neither enough light nor my tripod.
With my camera, I didn’t want to go above ISO 800, but I wanted the maximum depth of field. That needed a shutter speed of 1/25 of a second. Hand held. Fortunately, I had my 17mm-55mm, so that helped. There was a breeze blowing the frond, however, and that was counter productive. I had to be super-duper steady to capture the sharpness of detail.
Over the years, I have come up with ways to tripod myself. I brace myself, tucking my elbows in close to my body. Those who have been to our workshops know exactly how I hold my lens for maximum stability. I take a deep breath, let out a little, then gently squeeze the shutter. Improvising and turning myself into a tripod-of-sorts works. Then, there are those strange “Margo positions” that our alumni have seen.
One of our participants came to a recent workshop with a less-than-ideal tripod, in spite of our blog on this subject. Needless-to-say, it was great cause for frustration, especially on the beach where it was windy.
Arnie had a great solution. Take a negative, and turn it into a positive.
“Forget trying to hold the camera steady at dawn. Instead, go for interpretation and motion.”
He did a couple of shots for the participant, giving her an idea of what she might do. This one gave a soft, ethereal look to the early-morning shoreline, celebrating the motion of the water.
It was a great solution, and pretty soon, everyone was adapting and improvising with this new-to-them technique.
Every year, we go to the Southwest. Arnie and I love it there, and over the years, we have really enjoyed introducing so many participants to some of the wonders and allures it holds for us.
There is one site we always visit. The early-morning light is beautiful.
We are at the cliff edge, and when I mean cliff, I do mean quite a drop. There is no stepping forward here.
The sun is coming right at my lens. A hat, my long arm, nothing keeps the sun off the lens. Clearly, I have to take a different tack.
I let the image go high key. I allow the flair. I celebrate the hotness of the morning colors. I give the scene a different effect than I have ever done before.
Once again, it’s a case of adapt and improvise. It’s never good to get so locked in to a thought that other possibilities get lost.
So, next time you go out and meet what seems an insurmountable challenge, don’t be daunted by it. Try another approach. Experiment for a different effect. Again, adapt and improvise.
We always love to get comments.
We also hope you will LIKE this blog (just above the blog title above) and SHARE it (below) with those interested in photography and travel along with the following:
One other trick that works for me is to set the timer for a 2 second delay. That way there’s no worry that the physical action of pressing the shutter button will shake the camera – I can press, then hold steady. I learned this shooting the Forsyth Park fountain with Arnie!
Nat,
If everything is still, that works really well, no question.
In my case, however, where the frond was blowing, I needed it a certain way, so I had to be at the ready. Two seconds, and it would have been in a different position.
Take care, and thanks for chiming in,
TBC
In addition to your “natural” tripod techniques, there is also Arnie’s solution with the Leica table tripod and ball head which I have used repeatedly with the L bracket created by Really Right Stuff, using my body as the “table”. I have never had anyone object to my use of this handy accessory. Thanks to Arnie for bringing it to my attention years ago.
So true, Dave. It’s too bad that those are so scarce these days. I love mine, for sure.
Thanks for weighing in with that excellent point.
Take care, and we look forward to seeing you at our reception next week!
TBC
Great post – I like both the way you tell the story and the inspiration it provides. More often than not, I think, improvising is just part of the fun.
Tobias,
Thanks for commenting, and I’m glad you enjoyed the presentation. I would agree with your take on improvising. While frustrating at times when on a job with a short time table, it keeps things from being dull, and it keeps us all on our toes.
Take care,
TBC