Pixiq

Being ready for that great shot. As photographers, isn't that what we all try to do?

© John Neel

KISS is an acronym for "Keep It Simple Stupid". Believe me, it is a great thing to consider in your photography. Less is more!

In many cases, there is a good chance that we have brought too many things that can get in the way of capturing the best photographs. Frustrations sometimes occur because we have too many decisions to make with our equipment just when we need to pay attention to our subject.

With photography there is enough to consider without creating new problems. Besides equipment and variety of subject matter, we must also make decisions based on subject requirements. Do we need to use flash, a tripod, lighting, light levels. Do we want to shoot HDR or is the subject better shot as a single image in black and white. we usually need to determine these things in advance in order to be assured of making  the best images possible. 

One of the most difficult parts of teaching or learning digital photography is coping with a new interface with each different camera. Although most of the settings are the same on every camera, the User Interface is rarely the same. Every manufacturer has a different layout for their cameras. It seems that every model within the manufacture lineup is different too. You would hope that they are working towards some kind of standard layout for DSLR cameras especially.

There are cameras that have great interfaces. The Pentax K7 and K5 are terrific for the way I take pictures. I find the buttons and interface very usable for my way of working and are in logical locations for my hands. I find the interface on these cameras to be very intuitive. In fact, the UI works so well, that I can usually accomplish needed settings while shooting night shots in the dark without a flashlight.

I know that Canon, Sony and Nikon DSLR cameras have similar but not the same UI’s. Like the dashboards in different cars, they are all providing the same basic information, but the gauges, buttons and controls can be located in very different locations.

Sometimes, I make the mistake of taking a couple of cameras with me when I go out to shoot. I might think to myself that taking along a DSLR with a favorite medium zoom lens as well as a Micro 4/3 with a wide angle would give me a big advantage. It would seem that I could be ready for bear. However, I soon realize that this creates several problems. One of which is dealing with two or more different interfaces. What is easy on one might not be on the other. The knobs are rarely where you want them and in most cases you have to jump into the menu to make a setting. On one camera the menu button is located somewhere on the lower right, on another on another, it is in the middle of the 4-way switch or perhaps somewhere nearer to the viewfinder. The menu items are not in the same place within the menu and the navigation is accomplished with a variety of different button combinations.  More often than not, there seems to be no real logic to the way camera interfaces are designed. While most of us can muddle through with some minor frustration. all this doesn't sound too terrible until you we are faced with trying to make quick decisions in order to capture a fleeting moment.

© John Neel

Although I usually manage to get the images I am after, I find that there are other opportunities that are missed due to the response time of having to decide between which of the cameras to use and choosing the appropriate settings for the subject. If my subject is stationary, it may not be a problem. However, if the shots are spontaneous, it can be a huge problem and can lead to failure in getting any good photograph at all.

I learned a long time ago with my street photography, that it is much better to go out with a single camera and a good lens than to take too much. That instant you may need to capture is not going to wait for you or your camera. Be smart and think ahead for the kinds of subjects you know you will be seeing. Plan your outing around your anticipated subjects and be ready by predetermining your settings.

Anticipation means being ready, having your camera set, having confidence in your camera settings, watching your subject and shooting when everything comes together. Knowing that you only need to frame and shoot, will improve your chances of capturing a great image.

Understanding your camera is the first step to making your photo shoot successful. Keeping things simple will also help you to focus on the subject.

Please read more of my posts regarding Digital and Analog Photography on Pixiq.

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