Catching the Moment
You don’t always have the luxury of posing your subjects. If you are photographing animals, a sports game, concert or other live event, you have to go with the flow. Part of being a professional photographer is being able to capture the moments as they come. This involves a careful mix of skill, patience and a little bit of luck. Being in the right place at the right time helps too!
Here are a few tips for helping you shoot the perfect frame:
Follow the subject
If you’re in a crowded marketplace and a particular shopper catches your eye (from the clothes they are wearing, to the goods they are carrying and so forth), track their movements with your camera. They may not be in the best lighting right now, or they are partially obscured by the crowd, but that doesn’t mean they won’t pop out into the foreground. If you keep your camera trained on them you have a better chance of getting the shot you want.
Fade into the background
People tend to pose when they know a camera is being pointed to them. If your subject is unaware of when you start snapping away, they might behave a little more naturally. This lets you capture a much more real moment.
Wait for it
A part of photography is being patient. If you are photographing wildlife, you can’t exactly barge into the scene and start telling the animals what to do. You have to wait for them. Patience pays off in the long run.
Arrive early, stay late
If you are going to be shooting an event, try to be one of the first ones in and the last one out. There is just as much magic in the set-up and tear-down as there is during the actual event. Getting a behind-the-scenes look makes for interesting and intriguing photographs.
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