Know your equipment to get your best shots

There is nothing worse than getting your fingers tied up in knots when a great photograph is one click of the shutter away. A mere 1/1000th of a second and you would have gotten it! But the camera was set for a beautiful landscape you shot just 10 minutes ago, the f-stop is at f16, the shutter is at 1/60, everything is working against you, and at the same time, every correction was at your finger tips.

Knowing the camera can set a photographer free. It is not enough to read the manual. Unfortunately that fine piece of equipment won’t think for you either. (I know there’s an automatic mode, but that won’t get you your great shots). So take your camera off the automatic mode and learn everything it has to offer. Your camera has to be an extension of your eyes going all the way to your hands. Think of it as a riff on that old ditty: The eye muscle is connected to the hand muscle.

Practice as musicians do with their instruments. Knowing what to push, twist or pull can make or break an opportunity for a great photo. Feel and learn the controls without looking. Learn to adjust your controls in the dark. It takes time and some of us older photographers have a bit of a head start. Photographers in the film days could put together a jig saw puzzle in total darkness, loading roll after roll of film onto developing reels in the darkroom.

You may not use every feature your camera offers, and that is OK. But there are essential controls you should know. The exposure compensation control, for example, is one of the most important tools, but it is often overlooked. Learn it. And for all of the camera controls you use regularly, you should know those by muscle memory, so you can concentrate on that next great photograph and not have your fingers tangled up figuring out your camera.

If you have any questions about the optimal use of your camera, feel free to ask in the comments and I will share what I know.

As a Photographer, No One is a Stranger For Long

One of the cool things about being a photographer is that you get to meet some of the best people. It’s rare that I go out in nature and not run into someone who is interested in what I am looking for or what I have found that day. They often have stories to tell of the sights they have seen and I get to know them a little as we share stories of nature and wildlife.

While I am mostly focused on landscape, nature and wildlife photography these days, I still can’t resist taking photos of unusual scenes or just going into a downtown area and getting photos of life in the city. On a recent trip to the Everglades, my wife and I decided to stop for lunch in Goodland, a small fishing village (pop. 267) off the beaten path on Marco Island. We met someone on the trail in the Everglades who suggested we go to Stan’s. She was a fellow photographer and had been documenting the 10,000 Islands area for a while.

We grabbed a table next to the water and ordered our lunch. I had my back to the bar and my wife nudged me to turn around. We hadn’t noticed when we walked in that there was a dog sitting at the bar. It was one of those photo moments I couldn’t resist. I grabbed my camera and headed for the bar. There I met Wilson, a terrier mix, who had been coming to Stan’s for 11 years. He was a fixture at the bar. So much so, that Wilson’s 18th birthday party will be held at Stan’s on Dec. 14.

I talked to Mark Bromley, Wilson’s traveling companion/bar mate/designated driver, who clearly enjoyed a bit of celebrity status thanks to his pup. Wilson had his own super-sized mug that he brings to the bar. It is filled with water these days, although at one point Wilson had a penchant for a bit of the hard stuff, but he had to give it up. A woman on the other side of Mark, delivered a treat for Wilson. The terrier wasn’t about to wait for someone to get around to opening the package so he helped himself.

Mark told me Wilson was famous around Goodland, his picture was hanging at several bars. The framed photo at Stan’s was a beat beat up after hurricanes and repairs and pressure washing but Mark was ready to print and frame a new photo for the new season.

We chatted long enough to get an email address and to score an official invitation to the Dec. 14 birthday party. If you don’t see us around that day, you can be sure we’re having some cake…I wonder if it will be peanut butter or carrot.