THE THINGS I DO…

The answer is quite simple: it’s the camera you have with you when you need to capture that memorable moment!
That’s right, the answer isn’t necessarily Canon, Nikon, Olympus or even your cellphone camera. If you don’t have a camera with you when you see that shot of a lifetime, you’ll only be able to describe the photo you almost made.
No camera, no pictures, it’s that simple. It doesn’t matter what brand…as long as it has a lens and can record an image.

Think about that fact the next time  someone wants to engage in a little “my camera’s better than yours” banter with you.

Water. That’s right, a bottle of the wet, clear stuff has saved my bacon on more occasions than I care to mention. Most recently, a well-chilled bottle of water revitalized me in the middle of a marathon wedding shoot on a sweltering, 90-degree Virginia summer day.

Too many shooters get caught up with packing all the photo gear needed for a shoot and completely forget about bringing along the supplies needed to maintain themselves during the event. Weddings have a tendency to last a long time. That means you’ll be working hard without a break for most of your day (at least, if you’re giving the sort of event coverage I’m known for) and that’s a recipe for failure unless you’ve planned ahead. Toss a couple energy/granola bars in your bag and a couple bottles of water into a waterproof bag (and I don’t need to explain WHY a waterproof bag, do I?) for a quick snack and hydration throughout the day.  It’s amazing how invigorating a bite of granola bar and a slug of water can be during a long afternoon of runnin’ and gunnin’…. a refreshing pause that’ll help you to maintain your focus and energy till the bridal party, like Elvis, leaves the building.

I’m hosting my first big photo walk of the summer and wanted to go over a short checklist of things to take with you so you can devote all your energy toward making great photos. First, take care of yourself. Wear comfortable shoes, bring along sunscreen, water and a snack in case the munchies strike. Don’t forget the water, it’ll end up the most important thing in your photo walk inventory. Second, assess what sort of photography you’ll be doing and equip yourself appropriately. If you’re shooting wildlife, bring long glass, a monopod and leave the flash equipment at home. If you’re photo walk is geared more toward street shooting, bring an 80-200mm zoom and a wide angle. Leave the long stuff at home. Flowers=macro lenses and landscapes means bring out the wide stuff (and polarizers!)

The key here is to not bring so much gear that you can’t react quickly to photo possibilities. The last thing you want to happen is to become dehydrated and be preoccupied with finding water when you should be occupied with enjoying the photo walk! I’ve hosted many walks and can state with conviction that the better you feel, the better your work will be. So don’t rush out on your next photo walk without scanning this checklist first. Enjoy.

An idea book, for me, has become a useful tool for those times when I have trouble coming up with a new way to approach an assignment. Having subscribed to magazines like National Geographic, American Photo and Smithsonian for years, I was constantly finding inspiring, interesting photos that I wanted to remember for future “borrowing.” Twenty years ago I devoted a three-ring binder to be the place where I would stash those visual ideas for future use. The wee effort spent in pasting clips into this book has paid off handsomely throughout the years. Today, many pages are yellowed but that binder is still chuck-full of great ideas for lighting, composition and ways to approach tough photo situations. I don’t know what I’d do without it. Grab a binder during the back-to-school sales and start one of your own. I’ll be starting my third volume soon…

I conducted my first “photo walk” last weekend at a local air show. I met with several local amateur photogs and shared my knowledge and love of photography with them. I was particularly taken aback by a comment from a photographer about how she “could never take photos as good as mine” because she was using a non-DSLR, point-and-shoot camera.

This casual comment started a lively discussion about how the person and not the camera is the most important ingredient to great photography.  Sure, a multi-thousand dollar camera will allow you to have greater control over your photography, but without an eye for lighting, form and composition, it’s just an expensive necklace.

What to do? Adapt your photography to the gear you have in hand now. For example, point-and-shoot cameras are good for portraits and landscapes. DSLRs will allow more lens choices (at a price) and faster captures —  allowing better sports photography. Master the gear you’ve got, don’t set it aside because it’s not “good enough.” Explore all possibilities and potential of your current camera….and keep shooting.