When planning our travels, many of us create a checklist to ensure we don’t forget the important items.
There’s another checklist that I’ve found that I need to make. It’s the tactics checklist of what to remember when ‘caught up in the moment’ of your subject.
A few years ago, I had the privilege of shooting above and under piers in the the Outer Banks in North Carolina. When processing the images in Lightroom, there were specific shooting areas where I noticed a fundamental issue. I hadn’t moved my perspective!
A Perspective Checklist!
Sure, different f/stops were used along with focal length adjustments. But the perspective was from one location. Almost all of the upper level pier shots had the same look and feel including horizon points. This left very little to work with when back in Lightroom.
What happened? Fundamentally, at the time I was a bird and wildlife photographer. Because my subjects move, I constantly have to as well. ‘Moving’ around to the right, left, on the ground is the norm. When the objects became stationary, my tendency was to remain in one spot. The outcome? A lot of images that looked the same and there was not a lot to choose from.
Viewing images from the pier and lighthouses with limited perspectives generated the need for a mental ‘in the moment’ tactics checklist. This includes:
- Using multiple f/stops
- Working with multiple focal lengths
- Taking multiple steps to the right and left from the initial shooting point
- Moving close to ground level
- Elevating to a higher point
- Using of different lenses on the same subject when possible
Batteries are charged, camera gear and backpack is ready. Mental checklist? Check!
For more spontaneous thoughts: Rain, snow, ice, heat – just go!
