When observing fast-moving animals or large groups of animals, especially in a new location, I often find myself automatically just taking photos of the animal or group of animals as soon as I see them, before even really identifying them, because I feel like I’ve missed too many opportunities to photograph the unusual animal that came into view for only a few seconds because it took me too long to figure out that it was something that I should take a photo of.
The problem with the shoot-first approach is that when I’m shooting photos, I lose a lot of awareness of everything else that is happening around me, and then I also have to go back and review a lot of photos of common animals just to find the occasional interesting one.
Are there more optimal approaches to make sure you capture as many of the interesting but fleeting animals on camera, without taking photos of everything new that comes into view?
This is a tough trade-off that I don’t think there’s any perfect solution to. I also sort of get tunnel vision when trying to observe lots at once and can miss other things. A few thoughts:
I find that if I visit the same location multiple times, I have a better appreciation of what is uncommon and what is frequent there. So the first visit, I may be snapping away, knowing that I’ll have an opportunity to know more and spread my attention the next time I come.
If you go with someone else, different people can be observing or taking pics which allows for more selective picture taking (since you’ve got back up and don’t have to worry about missing something all the time).
More philosophical but thinking that the experience of observing something myself (even if I don’t get a pic) is probably more important than ensuring I have the pic. Being comfortable with not getting documentation of everything (Against my instincts, but probably true).
There’s a scene in the Ben Stiller version of “Secret Life of Walter Middie” involving Sean Penn and a Snow Leopard which I think is germane to our (sometimes) over obsession with getting the shot…
Having started photographing in the ‘seventies, our favorite song was “Someday, my prints will come”! I now will shoot everything first and discard later. My reaction was “are you kidding, in the age of digital photography? Shoot shoot shoot and remember ‘no Chimping’!” I try to shoot automatically when I first see something (I call them record shots) then discriminate whether I can get a better one.
I get more animal photos while I’m slow walking and ready. I have learned to try to be quiet and ready when getting up from photographing close to the ground, as I have stood up to find deer quite nearby. I get too focused on the smaller photos and forget the big world, coupled with getting poorer hearing, I can easily miss a lot.
I have also gotten “ lens locked” using a zoom lens and have had deer walk up within 15 feet, without my realizing how close. Which could be dangerous in other situations!
Although I guess “shoot first” is a fair summary of how I approach anything which potentially is fast moving, usually I’m focused on a particular individual and the thought process is “first get some photo, then try to get a good photo, then try to get a better photo”. But I suppose I’m not really a pro at this, in the sense that if something was really in view for only a few seconds, I don’t know if I’ve often/ever got a photo good enough to upload (that is, which I think could plausibly be identifiable).
My philosophy is shoot first, shoot fast, shoot often. Does that mean I can lose situational awareness? Yes, of course. I’ve scared more than a few animals, including myself, by standing up suddenly after trying to get the perfect shot of a bee only to find myself looking into the eyes of some much larger creature.
I try to compensate for the loss of situational awareness of that approach in advance. If I know I am approaching an area that may have larger, easily frightened animals I slow down and use the move/pause approach. Move slowly, pause, move slowly, pause again. With luck that allows me to see things before my presence spooks things.
When you look at the fantastic shots you just captured, while making “ooh- ooh-ooh” chimp sounds. Meanwhile, you’ve missed other great photos and scared off nearby subjects!
I’m guilty of “silent chimping” myself, although I justify it by saying I’m checking my camera settings. It does pay to make sure you’re not taking a bunch of bad pics on a wrong setting, but yes you might miss a good photo opportunity occasionally.
It’s funny, since I started out on a film camera, I still hesitate at times to take a whole lot of shots with a digital camera (even though the many shots don’t cost me anything and simply have to be reviewed with most to be deleted).
I definitely shoot first and then ask questions later! Gotta get that safety shot first from afar, and then slowly creep up to it hoping it doesn’t fly/run away. Who knows when the next opportunity will arise?
I’ve adopted this approach whether using binoculars or camera. I see something - I stop and look/shoot. Then I walk 10 steps slowly and stop to look/shoot again. I do this till the bird flies away (it’s always a bird - I don’t see interesting mammals and my approach with insects is different). I also keep my camera/binoculars up by my chest to minimize moving my arms around much.
I agree that one should shoot automatically at first and then move in to see if one can get a better shot, but I feel that once one has some good shots, one should chimp to see if there isn’t some flaw across all the shots taken so far. In my case it’s usually motion blur or too much or too little depth of field. A single great shot in my opinion is worth many “keepers”.
Yes, and I do. That’s the magic of digital cameras. I often need to check focus and it’s easier to check and reshoot than walk there & back again. I also often need the reminder of not Chimping. It’s just another tightrope.