To be honest, our text calls this lesson "Moments: Timing." As photographers, we are deciding which moment we want to capture, and then we are hoping we timed it just right.
Here's a few things I know. I know that you cannot develop good timing unless you practice your craft. It's only because I have been photographing dogs, kitties and other animals for quite some time, that I have come to expect certain behaviors from them. And because I live with a pack of dogs, I am tuned in to how they might act/react to certain stimuli. So I expect if I do (a) perhaps a dog might do (b). Of course, sometimes you meet a real free spirit and they do (y)! You have to be ready for those y-ers, and you won't be if you haven't gotten out there and practiced.
I also know that you cannot develop good timing if you do not know your equipment. Things happen very fast sometimes, and you will miss all of them if you are still trying to develop your settings.
So, what is that moment? How do you recognize it?
I think it will be different for each person. Depending on your eye and your visualization of what you want to capture, that moment is usually when all the planets align and you see in your viewfinder exactly what you were hoping to see.
This week, I photographed a border collie. If you have ever photographed a border collie, especially a border collie whose genetic make up is somehow linked to sticks, and who, when the word "squirrel" is said out loud, will do anything possible to climb a tree....ANY tree, then you know that you will have to be VERY ready and really watch for that moment.
Here's a few things I know. I know that you cannot develop good timing unless you practice your craft. It's only because I have been photographing dogs, kitties and other animals for quite some time, that I have come to expect certain behaviors from them. And because I live with a pack of dogs, I am tuned in to how they might act/react to certain stimuli. So I expect if I do (a) perhaps a dog might do (b). Of course, sometimes you meet a real free spirit and they do (y)! You have to be ready for those y-ers, and you won't be if you haven't gotten out there and practiced.
I also know that you cannot develop good timing if you do not know your equipment. Things happen very fast sometimes, and you will miss all of them if you are still trying to develop your settings.
So, what is that moment? How do you recognize it?
I think it will be different for each person. Depending on your eye and your visualization of what you want to capture, that moment is usually when all the planets align and you see in your viewfinder exactly what you were hoping to see.
This week, I photographed a border collie. If you have ever photographed a border collie, especially a border collie whose genetic make up is somehow linked to sticks, and who, when the word "squirrel" is said out loud, will do anything possible to climb a tree....ANY tree, then you know that you will have to be VERY ready and really watch for that moment.
While this is a typical moment for this particular border collie, it's not the moment I was looking for. I also own a border collie (my BC is deaf, but acts like and has all of the typical border collie traits and mannerisms), so I am very familiar with this "ready" moment when a border collie is waiting for the next clue on what he should be doing.
If I only gave you this next photo, you might say "oh, that's the moment right there!"
If I only gave you this next photo, you might say "oh, that's the moment right there!"
We could make a very good case for this being the moment. This is a working border collie who has a bead on a very juicy stick that he is hoping someone will throw. The stance, the eye, everything about this photo shows us the character of a border collie. I am happy with this moment, because I do like to capture dogs displaying character moments, but this is till not the moment I had visualized.
Then, finally, this photo opportunity came along and I was in the right place at the right time.
Then, finally, this photo opportunity came along and I was in the right place at the right time.
Yes, I unabashedly used the word "squirrel" and then waited for all the hub-bub of possible tree climbing to die down to the point of this lovely border collie looking right at me as if to say "hey, lady....how can you just stand there when I know there is a squirrel in this tree?" And that was the moment!
I did take a few shots before this moment and a few shots after, but this was definitely the right moment for me. Timing is really important if you are trying to tell a story, if you are trying to capture things with a mind of their own (like dogs, cats or small children), and if you want to have an impact with the image you create.
So get out there and practice! Which photo will be your moment?
To see what others found to be their moments, head over to the blog circle, starting with Susannah Maynard of Pet Love Photography, serving Greater Cincinnati and the San Francisco Bay area! Have a wonderful weekend!
I did take a few shots before this moment and a few shots after, but this was definitely the right moment for me. Timing is really important if you are trying to tell a story, if you are trying to capture things with a mind of their own (like dogs, cats or small children), and if you want to have an impact with the image you create.
So get out there and practice! Which photo will be your moment?
To see what others found to be their moments, head over to the blog circle, starting with Susannah Maynard of Pet Love Photography, serving Greater Cincinnati and the San Francisco Bay area! Have a wonderful weekend!
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