View Full Version : How to cure the “Hurry-up” illusion
Heroique
2-Nov-2012, 19:14
Just curious – we all see promising compositions disappear because we aren’t fast enough.
The light changes, the wind picks-up, the rain moves in – and you’re only half set-up. :(
But how many LF compositions fail to appear because you aren’t slow enough?
I’m thinking of the ones coming, not fleeing – the ones you don’t see because conditions (physical & psychological) haven’t quite created them yet.
How do you decide whether to wait for them, or abandon them and go home?
Do you think going slow takes more skill than going fast?
Kirk Gittings
2-Nov-2012, 21:00
I'm a firm believer in Fred Pickers old axiom: shoot it now AND wait for something better. I don't hesitate to wait for a couple of hours.
Some times a good paperback and the impulse to look up from it every minute or two are your best tools.
I was too slow to make an image on Monday -- mostly because I took the time to watch salmon making their way up the river before arriving at the place I was going to photograph. By the time I set up the 11x14 and worked with the light for awhile, the sun went behind the ridge. So it goes. I might be able to make the image at some later date...the light I should be able to find again, but the lack of wind might be harder to find. And I may not even attempt the same image, but as it sits in my brain and changes, how I approach it next time could be quite different. Perhaps 8x10 (or a vertical 4x10) and a longer lens.
Going slow is an art. It is all tied together with the art of seeing. Waiting does not necessarily mean staying in one place...it is more of a state of mind. One can practice walking Zen or sitting Zen. Or put another way, it is not neccesarily about finding or waiting a composition, but rather discovering each other.
ImSoNegative
3-Nov-2012, 07:04
A couple of weeks ago i was doing a portrait in what i was seeing as perfect lighting, soft morning light hitting the leftside of her face and carrying over onto the right side in just the right place, i quickly set the camera up, metered and was ready to take the shot, damn what a shot i thought, just as i was getting ready to press the release, the light vanished, not gradually either, it totally disappeared all at once (maybe if i hadnt of thought "damn what a shot" i would have had time to get the shot. oh well, its all part of the fun I suppose
Ed Richards
3-Nov-2012, 07:20
Shoot it now and wait works very well. Fred would also recommend walking around and looking for a better angle while you are waiting.
David Lobato
3-Nov-2012, 07:43
I agree with what's being said here. I have a habit from years past with the 4x5 to hurry while the light is good (and which paid off several times). But just last Sunday I was photographing and it was a little too early for the sun to completely light the object. I took a couple of exposures anyway and looked for other compositions by eye. Taking my time on a nice afternoon the sun did finally move to illuminate the subject just as I hoped. So I re-did the setup and took two more exposures. Developed the 8x10 sheets last night and what would you know, both are very nice. Can't really say one is better than the other. For once, a win-win. The later one was posted this morning on the "old things, farms, buildings ..." thread.
Greg Miller
3-Nov-2012, 08:13
Just curious – we all see promising compositions disappear because we aren’t fast enough.
The light changes, the wind picks-up, the rain moves in – and you’re only half set-up. :(
But how many LF compositions fail to appear because you aren’t slow enough?
I’m thinking of the ones coming, not fleeing – the ones you don’t see because conditions (physical & psychological) haven’t quite created them yet.
How do you decide whether to wait for them, or abandon them and go home?
Do you think going slow takes more skill than going fast?
Good color landscapes are largely about the light. Light has 3 primary qualities: direction, color, and intensity. I think any accomplished color landscape photographer has learned to understand if those qualities are optimal or not. If not, then waiting is the best option (for personal work; shooting on assignment is a totally different matter). Waiting might mean a few seconds, a few months, or a few years. I have 2 photos of a nearby location that I passed at least twice a day for 15 years. All other times the light was not optimal so I waited.
I also plan my outings to correspond with the weather and time of year. No sense shooting a grand landscape if the sun is rising from a direction that isn't desirable.
Brian C. Miller
3-Nov-2012, 10:17
Just curious – we all see promising compositions disappear because we aren’t fast enough.
The light changes, the wind picks-up, the rain moves in – and you’re only half set-up. :(
But how many LF compositions fail to appear because you aren’t slow enough?
Earlier this year I was out at Grand Coulee dam, and there was intermittent rain. When I drove through, the clouds were totally socked in. The water was pouring over the dam, and it was just a magnificent rumble. I got out, stretched, looked around, got back in the vehicle, and took off. A mile down the road I saw in the rear view mirror that the sun had poked out for just a moment, and lit up the cascading water against the dark storm clouds.
"how many LF compositions fail to appear because you aren’t slow enough?"
Now you're talking.
Quiet the mind. Work more slowly. See more deeply.
bobwysiwyg
3-Nov-2012, 12:15
"how many LF compositions fail to appear because you aren’t slow enough?"
Now you're talking.
Quiet the mind. Work more slowly. See more deeply.
Strikes a chord with me. I tend to be impatient by nature. Many prefer and use tripods with flip locks, they are faster to set-up, etc. I prefer my wood tripod as the process of extending and locking the legs helps start to slow down. Probably sounds strange, but it works for me.
Most of my photos are seen driving down the road. I don't know HOW many times I'll be driving along and see something promising and by the time I've turned around, found somewhere to park and get all set up and moment (light) has passed. I typically shoot old structures or buildings, houses and things of that like and the light is very often key (naturally) to making the image successful. Not always. Either way, it seems a rare occasion that I find whatever it is I want to shoot and have, or feel like I have, as much time as I'd like to wait for the best light. One of the reasons I tend to like overcast, flat light days, takes a lot of time pressure away!
The other side of the coin is when I have plenty of time and the light is changing - think, sun setting or rising and lighting the subject. Those are the times I tend to make way too many exposures. Every time I make an exposure, because I think "this is the moment!", the light will change again, usually for the better in my perception, and I feel like I might miss something if I don't make another exposure.
E. von Hoegh
3-Nov-2012, 12:28
Just curious – we all see promising compositions disappear because we aren’t fast enough.
The light changes, the wind picks-up, the rain moves in – and you’re only half set-up. :(
But how many LF compositions fail to appear because you aren’t slow enough?
I’m thinking of the ones coming, not fleeing – the ones you don’t see because conditions (physical & psychological) haven’t quite created them yet.
How do you decide whether to wait for them, or abandon them and go home?
Do you think going slow takes more skill than going fast?
Use an 8x10. Almost all of my 8x10 stuff is thought out over a period of time, it's not the sort of camera one just takes along on a walk.
I'll see something, look it over and even sometimes snap a frame of 35mm. Then I think, decide what light I want, etc.. Then I go and expose a sheet or two. These are usually the pictures I'm happiest with. And, one can work this way with any camera, I use the 8x10 most this way because it is the camera with which I learned to pre-visualise and really take my time. It's like driving a vintage auto with a crashbox - everything happens at a slower pace.
timparkin
3-Nov-2012, 14:45
I was shooting in Ardnamurchan recently and saw some lovely light on the tops of some trees covered in Lichen and set up the large format - sadly just as I finished a cloud covered the sun. I waited for fifteen or twenty minutes and then packed up to find another image. Finally found one that needed overcast, soft light and set up and the light came out again.
I was then in the dilemma of running over to my previous position to take a picture or stay and hope the sun would go back in again.
I formulated a plan for my next trip of taking two cameras and setting them up on the two compositions. My only worry is that this may cause some cosmic feedback loop and destroy the universe...
Tim
p.s. heres the first composition that I used my finder to take a picture of.. I shall be back though...
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8189/8148628294_1ce9115e6a_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/timparkin/8148628294/sizes/c/in/photostream/)
Use an 8x10. Almost all of my 8x10 stuff is thought out over a period of time, it's not the sort of camera one just takes along on a walk...
You are correct -- the camera takes you for a walk!
Look at old kendo masters.. they are damn scary.. young dudes are fast, jumpy , more muscles.. and yet.. slow old geezer just moves right where you don't expect him to be and whacking you with that slow moving stick of his... Same deal here. Its not visible speed. Its ability to read things. Sports photographers do know this one - you learn to anticipate and pre-visualize moments, not just wait for them.
I was shooting in Ardnamurchan recently and saw some lovely light on the tops of some trees covered in Lichen and set up the large format - sadly just as I finished a cloud covered the sun. I waited for fifteen or twenty minutes and then packed up to find another image. Finally found one that needed overcast, soft light and set up and the light came out again.
I was then in the dilemma of running over to my previous position to take a picture or stay and hope the sun would go back in again.
I formulated a plan for my next trip of taking two cameras and setting them up on the two compositions. My only worry is that this may cause some cosmic feedback loop and destroy the universe...
Brilliant ! If the Universe comes to an end suddenly, we'll all know who to blame :)
I formulated a plan for my next trip of taking two cameras and setting them up on the two compositions. My only worry is that this may cause some cosmic feedback loop and destroy the universe...
Tim
No, nature has a way of evening things out. You'll get a flat tire on the way there, or be chased away by a herd of territorial cows (not as funny as it sounds, when it happens to you).
Doremus Scudder
4-Nov-2012, 04:20
I work on setting up quickly without hurrying. Sometimes speed is of the essence. I have several nice compositions that are etched into my mind that I was too slow to capture on film. And a couple of good ones I would never have got without top-speed set-up. My problem seems to be deciding whether to set up or not at all. At times my indecisiveness has cost me an image. Nevertheless, I'm trying to look more and shoot less.
As for waiting; I'll wait for the wind to stop, for hours if the light is right. I'll wait for the sun to go behind or come out from behind a cloud. I'll wait for the storm to gather, or clear; I'll wait for the sun to change position and for the shadow to move. But I won't wait for something I can't anticipate.
My problem with waiting is again indecisiveness; how long should I wait before I pack up and move on? Often I waste a lot of time waiting and getting nothing and think I should have packed up and gone on... It's a bird in the hand vs. the grass is greener.
You know, people say I'm indecisive... but I'm not really sure about it.
Best,
Doremus
Bruce Watson
4-Nov-2012, 06:00
One of my favorite photographs was just like that. It was a composition at Joshua Tree NP. It was fine the way it was, but I could see a keeper if I got some direct sunlight on it to give it some texture and depth. There was a huge cloud deck, but it didn't extend all the way to the western horizon. So I thought there was a small chance I'd get some light right at sunset. Which was an hour, hour and a half away. So I set up, took my shot, flipped the holder, and waited.
Right at sunset I got about two minutes of light. Just enough to verify the exposure, yank the slide, and fire the shutter. A print is hanging in a prime spot in my living room as I write this.
This doesn't happen often. But when you can see it, when you know you have a chance, why *not* wait?
Another aspect of this is that I have been photographing along the same stretch of Prairie Creek for over 30 years. 'Waiting' can also mean coming back a week later, or next Fall. Having it start to rain (or the wind to kick up) just means I enjoy being there and I'll break out the camera the next time.
Heroique
4-Nov-2012, 15:00
I too have visited and re-visited special landscapes over many years, and I’m often surprised by compositions that take that long to catch up to me. 10 years. 20 years. 30 years. Leaves me w/ plenty of time to complete my most complex camera movements!
I’ve often asked myself whether I prefer, as a photographer, coming upon a new exciting place, or going back to beloved places time and again.
My best shots are about evenly divided between these two experiences, but my favorite shots come from the beloved places, where slowing-down time is of the essence.
A major aspect of a place is change. How can one fully experience a place without experiencing the changes it goes through? Time of day, weather, seasons, and just time itself. In the past thirty years I have seen favorite 'old growth' maples die and fall, seen open areas fill in, new open areas form when a giant redwood falls, and seen the fallen redwoods go from a bare trunk to an elevated forest of huckleberries, spruce and hemlock fifteen feet off the ground and 200 feet long.
Not that experiencing a place like this is required for a good photograph, but the can experience provide context for one's images. That 6-month bicycle trip in New Zealand was informed by a previous one year stay going to university (which included studying ecology) and a three-month failed photo expedition (hitch-hiking around NZ with a 4x5). Do I really know NZ -- not really...not like I know Prairie Creek, but I got stronger images the third trip because of the previous two trips (first trip was before I started to photograph).
I would love to solo bicycle around Iceland with a 5x7 for a couple of months -- on my list of dreams. If I had the money, I would consider going there on a photo workshop that catered to LF photographers...just so that I have the experience with the light and landscape there before undertaking a long bike trip. But I am willing to risk missing some images by just going on the bike. :)
Only half of this Big-leaf maple still stands
Scanned 8x10 Carbon Print
The snag leaning at 45 degrees is now on the ground (middle image)
Scanned 5x7 Carbon print
This redwood trunk is now an elevated forest
7x19 silver gelatin print (from a 4x5)
Just curious – we all see promising compositions disappear because we aren’t fast enough.
The light changes, the wind picks-up, the rain moves in – and you’re only half set-up. :(
But how many LF compositions fail to appear because you aren’t slow enough?
I’m thinking of the ones coming, not fleeing – the ones you don’t see because conditions (physical & psychological) haven’t quite created them yet.
How do you decide whether to wait for them, or abandon them and go home?
Do you think going slow takes more skill than going fast?
How absurd to even think of yourself as a(n) LF Photographer, much less an artist, if you do not have complete mastery over your tools, methods, time – hell even the heavens themselves. ;)
Joe Wright
13-Nov-2012, 10:14
I formulated a plan for my next trip of taking two cameras and setting them up on the two compositions. My only worry is that this may cause some cosmic feedback loop and destroy the universe...
Now that would be a picture!
John Berry
15-Nov-2012, 01:03
Stereo 8x10
mike rosenlof
16-Nov-2012, 13:25
I've also been in plenty of situations where something looks great at first glance. I start setting up, study the scene or subject, think about it some more, and decide "nope, nothing here".
patrickjames
16-Nov-2012, 18:12
I always have a small camera with me when I have my 4x5 so I don't really ever worry about missing anything. The majority of the time, shooting the 4x5 to me is about commitment, not haste.
chassis
25-Nov-2012, 19:05
This happened to me this weekend - not working slowly enough. I set up for an outdoor portrait of grandparents and grandkids. I decided on how to light the shot and camera placement. I gave brief thought to group composition, and the least amount of thought to exposure. I assembled the group, focused and took a meter reading. By this time I was feeling hurried to get the photo taken before the kids got ants in their pants. So I didn't completely think through the right lens aperture, and didn't stop down enough.
Overall the lighting and exposure were good, just not enough depth of focus. Also, the arrangement of the people in the group could have been better.
With landscape subjects, I have made progress in working more slowly, but still have room to improve when making portraits.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.