Having ‘the eye’ or ‘an eye’ as it regards photography is something that can be developed over time. Or at least I’d posit that it can. However, being predisposed to ‘art’ can give one a significant headstart, and accelerate the learning curve. With the advent of digital photography, the act of ‘getting repetitions’ became easier, but just like with working out, if you only ever put 25-lb plates on the hammer-strength bench machine, you’re not going to get any stronger. You have to continually push yourself, and slowly, over time, it becomes easier to see what you’re trying to get onto the camera sensor in your head. It also becomes easier to recognize when a situation may present an opportunity for a shot.
Take for instance the monster wood bee hovering outside our front door when I went to check for packages. Normal people would shut the door quickly and avoid the thing. Not this guy.
“Gonna need autofocus.”
“Also, as much focal length as I can manage is probably advisable…”
Enter the 70-200 f/2.8, along with the 2x teleconverter…
Bam!
Boom!
Pow!
Now the thing I’ll mention, that many, MANY pros or so-called pros neglect to tell you is this: I took somewhere in excess of 30 frames to capture these three. Many were just before or just after the lens locked focus, and some had a smudge where the bee had once been, because the lens decided to focus on the post in the background. BUT, I knew what I was looking for, and was able to capture something. If I started to do this regularly, I would hope to progress past the 10% keep rate. But having seen a card from one of my MiTT teammates after a patrol, full of over 200 shots… with ONE keeper, I’ll take 10% on a first outing.
So, get out and DO more, don’t be afraid to push outside situations you’re completely comfortable in, and remember that if it’s not what you had in your head (or something exceptional, captured on accident) DELETE IT. Life is too short for crappy photography.
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