The biggest element of being successful in many kinds of photography is simply showing up ready to shoot – with your camera.
Whether you are a freelance photojournalist working for a local newspaper, a stock photographer looking for the money shot, or simply shooting pictures of your kids if you don’t have your camera, you won’t get the shot.
In my classes that I teach on basic photography skills, my first point is always to have your camera with you.
I have missed so many incredible shots that were only there for a few minutes. My latest miss was just a few weeks ago. There was an incredible sunset and I wanted to get the reflection off of an office building for my stock portfolio. Of course I didn’t have my camera with me. I was only a few blocks from my home so I thought I would run home and get my camera and sneak back and catch my shot.
I learned that the real color of a sunset is only available for a few minutes. By the time I made it home, got my camera, and got back out to the car, the color of the sunset was gone. I had missed the money shot because I didn’t have my gear with me.
I bought my wife a point and shoot digital camera for that reason. She has a digital SLR, but she doesn’t like to carry it around unless she is planning on shooting a specific event. She carries a Nikon Coolpix camera in her purse for the cute spontaneous pictures of my kids.
It works well for her – now I just need to get one to carry with me.
The phone on your camera will do in a pinch, but not for any real quality and you certainly won’t be able to enlarge the picture to any real size – maybe someday as camera phones will get better.
Great tip Dave. I actually missed the sunset shot of a lifetime today because I didn’t have my camera with me.
I was driving home from work. It has been snowing like crazy for several days now and the skies opened up for just about 30 mins on the way home for an incredible sunset.
Then all of a sudden it happened. One second it was an incredible sunset, the next second I saw something that I have never seen before. There was a beam of light that shone from the horizon high up into the clouds. It looked like a huge spotlight shining in the air – but it was the most amazing shade of pink/orange/red/yellow (depending on where in the sky you were looking) I have ever seen.
I just pulled my car over and watched it. It was awe inspiring. There were several cars around me that did the same thing.
I had my iPhone with me and took a couple of pictures, but it didn’t capture the magic that I was witnessing.
I finally put my phone away and just enjoyed it. It was probably there for 2-3 minutes and then it was gone.
It was the most amazing sunset I have ever seen.
I would share it with you, but my camera is home in my closet – safe and sound. I missed it because I didn’t have my camera with me.