Enjoying the moment

I wonder how much my enjoyment of the magical moment is affected by the quest to nail the shot. My best shots are usually taken during narrow windows of opportunity when the light is at its best. Often I wish I could just sit back and relish the moment. Too often there is a mad scramble to compose a frame, fiddle with the tripod, make exposure and find the right filter/s for the job. I guess at least I can enjoy viewing the shot in the aftermath. Do you have any strategies to get the best of both worlds?

There's always the "sudden" shot you scramble to capture, but for me that's a poor way to run my life. I plan pretty carefully, time my arrivals with lots of slack, prepare carefully, then free my mind to enjoy the place/moment while shooting. If circumstances let you be fully prepared, there's little left to do but press the shutter. In that case, I can usually do a pretty good job of enjoying both the experience and the photography. Somehow my photos always seem to turn out better at the same time. It's always made me wonder if my emotions or feelings rather than my intellect start pushing the shutter at such times. Happy thought!

Hank has a good point, but unfortunately, since I'm not a full time photographer, I have little time to plan shots ahead of time (scouting the location, finding out when the best light will be, and then being there at the right time). I enjoy shooting so much though, that when I do have that opportunity, I don't want to sit back and just enjoy it...I want to work on capturing it. So I guess for me relishing the moment includes working on the shot. If you find yourself wanting to be free of the scramble though, perhaps taking some time in the field without the camera would be something to do once in awhile.

I sign Hank's philosophy.
A photographer once said, that if photographer have to scramble to catch the photo, well he/she was too late on work. I usually plan to be on location at least half an hour before "just right" light. And I visit chosen location repeatedly to know when to take photo. Since I use view camera it's impossible to work otherwise. I'm also amateur photographer, but I prefer to just enjoy world around me if I'm unable to fulfil condition of being half an hour before light on my chosen location. One thing I don't like to do is to rush working with instrument that require time. And I'm using it, because it require time to set it up. It's essential to me to have time to enjoy the moment I'm photographing for my photos to communicate my bond with place.

Cheers,
Marko

That's a good question, and gets to the heart of things. Some of my work involves waiting for a specific lighting situation to develop and, when that happens and I'm playing a waiting game, I relax and blend in with my surroundings and eventually feel part of the woods and fulfilled. Then, when the light gets right, I've rewarded myself with that down time and can get to work. It isn't always effective, but I already have a full-time job that partly involves photography and partly not, so I'm in a hurry to get to a nature shoot often enough not to like how I feel when I'm in a hurry.

I find I definitely enjoy the moment while out shooting, but at the same time it's a "different" type of enjoyment and ceratinly affected by the fact I'm shooting it. My mind never wanders far from the objective of capturing the image, and while it's great to look around and take in the scene between shots, it's not the same level of relaxation and depth of wonder and awe as it would be without the ever present camera. My wife and I went out to eat the other night, and afterwards we sat out on the back deck of the restaurant and watched the sun set over the bay. It actually felt odd because I found myself thinking about SS, which grad needed to be used, etc. Probably not a real healthy sign.

I've started to feel comfortable enough with my camera gear that sometimes in those magic moments I've sort of in a "flow" mode and actually enjoy it very much, as well as appreciating the feeling and mood. Like the others, I'm often sitting back and waiting for the right light and have quite a bit of time to take in the environment. Much more than if I wasn't intent on taking photos.

Galen Rowell's best-selling photo of the rainbow over Potala Palace was about as mad of a scramble as you can get. It was pre-meditated however as he saw something developing and ran with the hopes that he could either get the shot or fail miserably. I think if you are too relaxed and aren't in a proper condition physically or mentally to do whatever it takes to get the shot, you end up missing some great opportunities or just end up with pretty postcards. I live for the adrenaline rush that comes with not knowing if you'll be able to capture what you intend to or not.

I always enjoy my time in the field, it's just that sometimes it would be good for time to slow down during those magic moments so they can be appreciated free from the distraction of taking photos. Fortunately, although I haven't been into photography a long time I have done a lot of shooting so I go into a 'zone' and exposures seem to occur fairly automatically. This allows me to get more in tune with the landscape. I also like to as prepared as possible, I scout for locations in the middle of the day, figure out compositions that I think will go with the light, then return at the end of the day for the main shoot. Of course despite preparation the light & sky often require some degree of improvisation, sometimes a small adjustment, other times a mad scamble. Rowell's Potala Palace as Richard says is about the best example of chasing the light/shot. I usually find the best part of the day the final few shots where the camera is left on bulb (exposures range from a minute to much longer periods) so I can just watch.

Since I started doing large format almost exclusively, I find that one must plan ahead to be at the location and set up before for the best light happens. Once the camera is set up, the shutter closed, aperture is set and the film holder inserted, all that is needed is a quick check with the meter to set the exposure. Since the groundglass view is not visible, I simply stand (or sit on a rock), watch scene unfold, and enjoy the time.

-PB

I've recently begun to appreciate more and more the light after the sun has gone down. Change is more gradual, and I have time to examine my surroundings again the way I would if I were scouting for a shoot. Only now, the twilight is already there and enables me to scout and photograph at the same time. It's very relaxing compared to when you are set up for the magic moment and are waiting to see if the image will materialize the way you imagined. I find it a very plesant way to wind down a night before the hike back to the car.

I don't have any strategies different than most. However, it' a a wonderful "moment" when I'm planning on one thing and suddenly I turn to see another thing while waiting for "THE MOMENT". Often, the "sudden moment" is the better and I seem to relish that more. The "photo op" was not premeditated and Mother Nature seemed to have the last laugh on me. I do always try to enjoy as I photograph because the end result (the image) will have a story behind the meaning nd that is why I will "enjoy the moment". Make sense

Doing photography doesn't interfere with my enjoyment of the moment. It helps it. I am far more likely to slow down and look carefully at something when I am considering making a photograph. Back in the day, I had wonderful times photographing, only to discover there was no film in the camera. Those were accidents, but it certainly made it clear that a big part of what I like about nature photography had/has nothing to do with a tangible final product. I suppose my lack of urgency shows in my photography, but I worry not. I'm not trying to make a living doing this, so I relish my insouciance.

Pete D.

It's impossible to have "the best of both worlds" (or "have your cake and eat it, too!"). It helps to be tired (and thus less exuberant about working for a photograph), but sometimes I sacrifice photographing to watch a light show. It's always a good sacrifice. Photography is intensive, and unless one is shooting a fully automated camera and not being very mindful of composition, style, etc, one cannot fully give themselves over to enjoying the light, mood, and moment.

MG wrote: "...but sometimes I sacrifice photographing to watch a light show. It's always a good sacrifice."

Agreed! Earlier in the month RW Hawkins and I watched a nice sunset light show from my camp at the 4-Jeffrey camp ground on Bishop Creek. It was wonderfully relaxing to simply watch the light unfold and then fade into twilight. It felt great to do the "Adventure Loafing" portion of PAL!

-PB

Kah, I think you have answerd your own question - you take it all in while your camera is taking it all in. So during those long exposures before sunrise or after sunset I find a great deal of pleasure taking in the spectical taking place as my camera is recording it. Before magic light is a great time spent in anticipation, while after the light has gone I find a great deal of pleasure in refelction upon what I have just witnessed. While capturing the image is my primary focus, I always make a point of taking the time to enjoy the moment.

Neil