Get the shot?

Sounds like an easy enough question to answer doesn’t it? But for a creative photographer, knowing when to walk away from a subject isn’t always straightforward. There’s a trap called expectations every shooter should do their best to avoid. It almost happened to me this morning. I was taking a Father’s day walk with my son, his wife and my granddaughter by a nearby river. As we walked a nature reserve path, busy with mountain bikers, joggers and walkers, we came upon a man very seriously communing with nature. In a meditative stance with arms raised as though hugging the spirit of nature herself, he remained motionless, facing the river. His reverence instantly spoke to me and I felt the need to preserve the moment. I asked my family to walk ahead. I’d catch up. He stood between two trees I saw would nicely frame his window to the water. I captured a horizontal frame quickly and almost stepped away. As I stepped back I sensed something missing in my shot. I decided a vertical opened up the space better, defining a combination of land, water and sky. As I left I suddenly thought, “My iPhone 11 Pro has a wide angle lens… I wonder.” I backed up and switched to a perspective including much more content. A few frames later I rejoined my family. When we retraced our steps to the car, 30 minutes later, his pose was unchanged. I felt even greater respect for his connection with our surroundings..

When I uploaded the images for processing, the differences shocked me. The first two, shot at closer distances felt flat. The third image, which I had almost not taken, had the magic of space, light and the smaller scale of man in nature.

So, when I ask myself, “Did I get the shot?” it’s not a technical question, but a creative query. If you see a moment and go after an image with specific expectations, you may settle for one thing when the message you want to express requires something else. Success comes by listening to your heart, truly discovering why you stopped to create. When you reconcile that answer with technical mastery you are much more likely to create the shot for which you search.

Man in window, framed by trees. Pleasant but not the message intended…

More space with sky is better, but not yet the “Man in Nature” I sought.

Though not a panorama, you can feel the landscape beyond wrap his vantage point. This is why I stopped.

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