A very interesting discussion

[Lawrence]

I have just had an interesting discussion with a very good photographer;
We got on to the subject of preserving clicks and not just taking shots for the sake of it.

She believes, and I have heard this from many sources, that preparation is key along the lines of:
First think about what you want to achieve and then how you are going to go about it.

Okay I get that - I really do and I guess when I have something specific in mind, such as a landscape, I will do it to a degree.
That degree is to shoot a number of different shots to see which is best. Clearly silly as I could as easily look through live view
without shooting to decide what it will look like.

But on the other hand when I don't have anything specific and simply go looking for something which I do almost 90% of the
time, such as in my 365, the shot often appears without warning and I have to "have a go." Ironically I find some of these to
be my best shots.

Be interesting to know everyone's thoughts on this and how you all go about your photography.

 

[Just-Clayton]

With my first camera I did the multiple shots. I also wrote down the settings on what would work for that shot. now 3 cameras later I don't take so many shots and rely on my set up first. I am still wrong on occasion. But, not as much.

 

[sonicbuffalo_RIP]

For me, it depends on the shooting environment. If it is something I am looking to shoot that is moving, and I can expect a different outcome from multiple shots, I will use a burst mode. If it is stationary, and not living, I will probably take multiple shots due to light expectations. I might only take one shot though. It just depends on factors like background, and possible movement there. I really try to conserve shutter clicks, although I may change lenses and shoot basically the same shot twice, or I may just tighten the scene by zooming a little closer. I try to think of all these factors before I take the first shot. It's not always possible, though to think all of that through before. For example, animal and bird shooting. You just have to be quick and rapid burst comes in very handy when taking those types of shots. No matter what you do, photography is a dynamic endeavor, and you have to go with the flow and keep all of your options open.

 

[slowpoke]

I try to compose all of my shots.Having said that,I would rather get the shot and PP later,than miss the shot.If you got the time,take your time.If not fire away.

 

[BackdoorArts]

I'm very much inclined to agree with her when it comes to what I consider my "serious photography". I've taken to thinking about and planning for photos that I want to take, and when I do I find that they consistently come out better than I'd hoped - or I learn a valuable lesson in the process. That said, I'm still someone who carries a camera everywhere, including out on the deck with me in the evening, and I'll typically fire off 20-50 shots and toss most and even all of them.

I'm not a fan of "spray and pray", but that's not to say I've never used it. At the same time, photography as a hobby has many connotations, and over-thinking your work can often set your own bar too high and lead to disappointment when you don't have the tools yet to learn from the failures. Enjoying it is the key element, and you can do that with or without the planning.

 

[john*thomas]

Planning and fretting over getting just the perfect shot sounds like absolutely no fun for me. There is no correct answer here.

 

[SteveH]

For me it depends on the subject... Animals / wildlife, I'll use bust mode and then select the best shots when I get home and bin or just not post process the rest. For still life / buildings I ty to think more about composition and try different angles and settings... I then look at the results when I get home and try to learn what did or didn't work, and why.

 

[Eyelight]

Photographers are people too.

I would expect each answer/thought to be a little different from the next.

I generally take few photos, but take more when the situation tells me to take more and often don't realize I did.

I have a burning desire to know exactly what is going to show up as the finished shot, but that desire is sometimes overwhelmed by another, especially when the light is rapidly changing.

Generally burn more pixels on people and animals, because even though a shot might be perfectly framed and lit, the light in the eye of the subject is not always easily seen beforehand.

More photos with a new piece of equipment and less as the equipment turns into an extension of the mind.

 

[randyspann]

- I have many years of film shooting, where you make each shot count. And some of those years are with medium format where you have only 10 exposures per roll. So I learned to take time to compose and think about what the target conveys, etc. Probably the only time I take more shots, now, is when I worry I have the shot level, seems like I get a lot of unlevel shots.

 

[hark]

If I know ahead of time what I want to shoot, I usually have all the details mapped out in my mind; however, most times I only pick a location then proceed to walk around looking for interesting subjects. There isn't any foreknowledge about what I will shoot with the latter option.

Once I spot something interesting, the rules of composition kick in automatically. It's like driving a car. Once you learn how to operate it, reaction starts to become second nature. If a kid runs out into the street while you are driving, do you think about hitting the brake, or do you just do it?

When you are comfortable with composition tools such as DOF, leading lines, rule of thirds, etc. you should start to automatically see (in the mind's eye) the effects of these tools on the final outcome before you even look through the camera. That might be what your friend is saying. If you aren't yet to that point, you WILL be providing you keep in mind the rules of composition. That doesn't mean you always have to follow the rules of composition, but if you know what they are, they will work to your advantage. You might want to take one day to work on the rule of thirds and find as many subjects as you can to implement it then your next time out pick a different rule to work on. If you do so, eventually the rules will become second nature and you won't need to think so much. Then you can sit back and really enjoy the ride!

 

[sonicbuffalo_RIP]

- I have many years of film shooting, where you make each shot count. And some of those years are with medium format where you have only 10 exposures per roll. So I learned to take time to compose and think about what the target conveys, etc. Probably the only time I take more shots, now, is when I worry I have the shot level, seems like I get a lot of unlevel shots.

Randy...you hit the nail on the head.....I too, was used to making every shot count from the film days. I mean, heck, it got expensive when paying for the film AND especially the developing a 36 roll. I remember using York Photolabs with the mailers to save money. I still took a lot of pictures back then. I guess I need to loosen up now and just go shoot happy! I can always delete the bad ones without paying any extra!

 

[Horoscope Fish]

When I have the luxury of thinking the shot through, I like to do so. I can say with confidence it works for me and I definitely have a higher "hit" ratio when I can do that. I assume at some point all that thinking and analyzing becomes unconscious, or automatic, and requires less conscious thought and hence, time; but for now I need to very consciously analyze before releasing the shutter. At least... When I can.

Shooting sports or wildlife/kids (I consider the latter two roughly equal in most respects) I pretty much keep my eye to the viewfinder, wait for things to line up and shoot more or less instinctively.

I rarely "spray and pray" but I have been known to use my patented OBC technique (Optimistic Burst-Control). *cough, cough*

....

 

[Vixen]

I take too many. I never think to check my settings before i fire away so my first shot (or 5 if I still have bracketing on ) is usually underexposed

Unless I am going somewhere with a specific shot in mind eg sunset, I can't really plan anything. It's all about what I see and where I go, but otherwise I try to plan and research the how to's beforehand.

Stuff I shoot all the time and am comfortable with, like creeks and general landscapes, after that first (or first 5) shot, are usually OK. Stuff I have not done before, like inside with flash and/or lights, I tend to take heaps while playing with setup etc to see what works. I gave up on stuff like waterdrops and dropping items in water as there was just too much stuff with no control over it and it was maybe 400 clicks to get a sort of OK shot. Not worth wearing the camera out for I don't think

I am finding tho, and I only commented on it to my man this week, is that I am finding a lot of shots just so much easier these days.

 

[Mike D90]

I tend to do both. I usually know what I want to shoot, at least as to the subject, and I usually know the location I am headed too. What I do not know always is the conditions I will be shooting in.

I attempt to get a general reading of the light when I get where I am going and try to be close but things change throughout the day.

I do not like to "spray and pray" but I have done it. I find that if I do use that method almost none of my shots turn out to be what I wanted and most are not correctly exposed or are out of focus.

What I am not good at, and this comes with experience, is knowing exactly what I want my shot to look like as a final image. Many people do know this ahead of time and they are either very gifted to begin with or they have many years experience behind them. This is the artistic part of photography and you either have it in you or you do not. It is like playing a musical instrument. Some can never learn it to a professional degree.

That is not to say they cannot take a good photo, but a good photo will never be a great photo.

As of now I do not know where I think I am on this.

I know my background. I have been a musician and can play an instrument professionally. I have always had the ability to draw and illustrate to a pretty good degree. I should be able to do this but so far I feel I have not shown it, at least, not to myself.

 

[aroy]

I also started with film, and that meant a lot of thinking before taking a shot. A snap meant money - developing and then printing. With digital, the cost part has receded and I can now afford extra shots just to nail what I want. The only time I use burst mode is when there is wind and I am not sure that the flowers will be in focus when I press the button. Another time when a lot of trial and error is required when shooting with fully manual lenses. Getting the optimal (forget perfect) exposure takes quite a few trials.

Yes I do shoot at least four or five times more than needed, but it is better to throw away those bad shots, rather than lament on missing them. And then there are times, when just for the heck of it I shoot street scenes.

 

[Browncoat]

I think we all tend to do both. Sticking to one composition method is counter-intuitive.

Take the monthly challenges for example: the subject is predefined, and we often get an idea in our heads of what we want the final product will look like. Maybe we have a location in mind, perhaps even the exact shot we want. Other times it takes some on site scouting to figure it out. Regardless, the seed is planted before we even pick up a camera.

Other times, we may just be out walking/driving around and something interesting catches our eye. This is often the case with the 365 projects. Even if you have some rough idea of what you want to shoot (I think I'll go wildflower hunting today), there is no real plan. It's all done on the fly.

At the end of the day, when it's all said and done...

Whether you spent hours toiling away in post, or were a stickler and "got it right the first time" SOOC...
Whether you tweaked the hell out of it with HDR...
Whether you waited 4 hours in the blistering cold or just got lucky...
Whether you used a Nikon or Canon...​

All that matters is the final product. No one remembers or cares about that other stuff.

 

[mikew_RIP]

There is no correct answer it depends on the subject and the problems involved in getting the shot,i have trouble hand holding even with VR/OS,a bird taken at 400mm hand held requires me to take a burst of 3 or 4 shots the first often having camera shake, shot 2 or 3 being the best,there is a lot rubbish talked about one shot or many and its irrelevant,if you have chosen your subject decided what angle and what you want to convey it just doesn't matter how many shots you take.
I also started with film and had restrictions due to the cost,this often meant me taking one shot and finding i didnt have what i wanted now its free at the taking point and i will take as many as i want single or burst mode,the spray and pray is a totally mis-representative phrase.

 

[Eyelight]

Lawrence, your interesting discussion has turned into an interesting discussion.

Sent by Chupa via Tapatalk

 

[STM]

In the days when film was the only show in town, photographers were much more selective in their shooting. One, because at most you had 36 exposures per roll (I can get 40 on a single roll when I load my own but you need a very short leader) but with digital and a card with a lot of storage capacity, you have much more in the way of shots and do not have to worry about the costs of processing.

But the principles are still the same. The “spray and pray” (to use an Infantry term) method is rarely a good way to go about things. On an average 2 hour photoshoot with a model I may shoot only 40 images, often less. Others may shoot 300+. This is clearly "spray and pray" in my book. Shooting almost constantly hoping something will turn out. The difference is that out of that 300 maybe 15 are really useable shots and the rest mediocre or outright crap, whereas when you only shoot 40 and take your time to get the right shot, you may wind up with 30 or more that the model really likes. I would rather the model agonize over which of the 30 she likes best than agonize over 300 to find the15 she likes.

 

[Browncoat]

Resident Grumpy Film Guy brings up a good point...

Back when I signed up for the modeling gig (photo group crowdsourced paying a model for everyone to shoot) there was this female photographer who stood out from the pack. Not because she was the only woman photographer there, but because she was in full rapid fire mode. I thought I was in a war zone.

The rest of us were checking lighting, carefully posing, checking, composing, checking again. This chick would've taken 50 photos in that time. It should go without saying that I had to give her crap about it. She said:

"I shoot this way with all my clients. It makes them feel like they are a big time model and they are more comfortable."

How much merit there is to that, I dunno. I peeked over her shoulder when she was doing some edits, and most of the time she wasn't even making an effort to compose. Half the shots were of the floor, ceiling, etc. Seems like that would be pretty hard on your gear to shoot that way.