No.1
No.1.5
56
WBM march 2020
This is probably too simple for a tip but then again,
the obvious is always the most obscure. Shoot every
day, run wild with your camera, and make lots of mis-takes.
Read the manual, get to know it. Get to where the camera
feels so natural in your hands you forget about it and take pic-tures
on instinct.
Carry a camera always. This helps with rule number
one.
To hone that instinct, practice photography instead
of staring at your phone when you’re in a situation
of extreme boredom. For instance, when waiting in a
coffee shop to meet someone that may or may not show up, look
at whatever is in the window and think about how you would
frame it and what your composition would be. Think about what
the exposure would need to be too. This is also something you
can do while driving. Instead of being annoyed at the driver
in front of you, take their picture. Or at least think about what
it would look like and how it would translate as a print. I think
some people call that “inner reps.”
If you love a photo, print it. Otherwise, your photos
will be on the cloud, or on a computer hard drive or
a telephone. All of these things are prone to fail and
become obsolete over time — and that time often comes with-out
advance warning.
There are times when a fantastic photography situ-ation
arises, whether it’s a job or an opportunity to
photograph a sailboat passing in front of an incred-ible
sunset (that’s every day at Wrightsville Beach). When that
happens, make the most of the opportunity. Start by looking at
the light and setting your camera, starting with the ISO. Begin
thinking about how much depth of field you would like and how
fast the shutter should be to stop this instant. A tripod is always
fantastic. It’s a place keeper, like a bookmark; it allows you to
think, and keeps the camera where you want it. It’s always good
to slow down, breathe, look, think and get your shot. Or try again
tomorrow.
When I teach photography classes, I call this tip
number one. Never set your camera on a table with a
strap hanging over the side. Once while in college, I
was able to buy my second Nikon body at a good price and I was
very excited. I got home and set it on the table. I came walking
back to the room, snagged the strap and it fell on the ground
and bent the winder (what we used to advance the film). So after
that it was a double-stroke camera; it took two winds to advance
one frame. Thank goodness the camera still worked. Lesson
learned — it’s the least I can do to pass that on.
Castnet, Intracoastal Waterway, 2011. A study in where to put the
camera.
Federal soldiers, Fort Fisher, 2020, tintype.
THESE are a few things that come to mind that are
common sense ideas. But as noted earlier, some-times
the obvious is the most obscure. Being deci-sive
and instinctual at the same time doesn’t happen
by accident, it’s something you train yourself to do.
No. 2
No. 3
No. 4
No. 5