Take Your Camera

Ansel Adams is known for the quote “The best camera is the one you have with you”. The implications of this statement are incredibly wide ranging. However, it is important to note that Adams shot with mostly 4x5 cameras. This camera format was large, heavy, and required a great amount of additional equipment. Yet Adams did not let this hinder him from shooting in some of the most desolate locations across the nation. 

Why is this important? Because far too often I find myself somewhere without a camera when I eye a great photo opportunity. The very nature of photography recognizes that the moments captured (or not captured) will never return again. 

Unfortunately, I let excuses of gear size, convenience, or the need for lens options get in the way of me carrying my camera on a regular basis. To help combat this, one day I stripped my Canon 7D down to the basics with no battery grip or any other add-ons, and installed the smallest lens I own: the Canon 40mm f/2.8mm STM “Pancake”. I then vowed to carry my camera to and from work and anywhere else I went. 

The result of this experiment was fulfilled when I spotted a great opportunity just as I was leaving work one day. If I had to run home to get a camera, the moment would have most definitely been gone. Instead I had my camera ready and available to get what is now my favorite image from the campus of my school. 

So make it a point to carry a camera with you even when you are not on a ‘shoot’, you never know what you are going to see. 

Pre-Scouting Locations

We have been living in Louisville for about 2 years now, and at least 5 times a week I pass under a bridge that crosses over the I-64 highway. Being someone who loves to shoot long exposure work, I regularly thought about how and when to shoot this location. I would envision shooting it in the middle of the night, at sunset, and even during the day with a heavy neutral density filter.

Recently, I was able to devote an evening to shooting this location and capture the images that I had been envisioning for the last 2 years. This process taught be quite a bit about shooting and scouting locations:

1. Look for shots even when you don’t have a camera
I recently heard a photographer talk about the need to take ‘mental photos’ when you are out and about. This process makes you realize that the great shots are not all in exotic locations; there are great sights all around you. It will also help train your photographic mind and vision as you think ahead and carefully evaluate how you would go about photographing a certain setting or scene. 

2. Pre-scouting locations leads to greater photographic success. 
There is something about looking at a location multiple times before actually shooting it. You begin to notice the small details of the scene, you understand the mood of the scene, and you really understand the area you are going to be capturing. So visit a location multiple times, look at it on Google Earth, and really get to know the scene. 

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3. Be open to change
When I came to this scene, I was expecting to shoot facing west into the sunset. I started shooting as the sun was setting as I worked on framing and exposure time, I just wasn’t all that satisfied with the result. Granted, I liked the shot, but after a while, I turned around, crossed the bridge, and started shooting east. When I did this, I started to get shots that excited me and made the evening worth it (opening shot). When you are at a sight, don’t get too focused on what you predicted that you miss the great shot that is behind you. 

Let this post move you to start looking around at the sights and locations that you pass by every day. That road, that building, that park that you overlook each day may be a fantastic location to shoot. Also, start scouting your locations ahead of time and start developing a vision for what you seek to achieve, but remember to be open to something different at that scene.