When You Absolutely Need to Shoot the Photograph

Over the decades I have been doing photography, I have shot thousands of images — tens of thousands. But there is only a handful that sticks in my mind.

These are the images that, when I think about my work, immediately stand out. The pictures that when someone asks what I do, I have to show them.

These are the images of which I am most proud. Not because they were technically perfect. Not because they have generated the most sales, or likes, or follows.

I am most proud of this handful of images because I was able to capture in the camera what my mind’s eye saw. I looked at the subject, and the result I wanted became crystal clear.

And I couldn’t stop or rest until I captured that vision.

The Beach

The first time this happened was right after I got my first DSLR camera. We were on Tybee Island, Georgia, for the week, and I was still trying to learn how to use my new toy.

Finally, I decided I was ready to shoot and started walking down the beach toward my goal, which was the lighthouse at the point. About halfway there, I happened to glance back and see an old broken fence sticking out of a dune.

I kept walking toward the lighthouse, but I couldn’t shake the scene in my head.

Finally, I gave up and walked back toward the fence. I walked around the dune a couple of times, trying to capture the scene still fresh in my mind. After the second pass, I squatted down in the sand and saw my shot. That image has come to be my signature piece and is used frequently in my marketing materials.

The Portrait

I was doing a portrait shoot in Pensacola with a half-dozen models, and several other photographers. This was a Trade-For-Print arrangement. The models would get headshots they could use in their portfolio, and us photogs would get images we could add to our stock portfolios.

The third model on the first day was an older African American woman. She was trying to get more work in print ads and needed to rework her portfolio. I was last to shoot her, so I watched the other photographers at work.

I noticed that between each shot, she took a deep breath, looked upward, recomposed herself, and then struck a new pose. It was one time as I saw her looking toward the ceiling that the vision came.

When it came to my turn to shoot, I asked the room in general, “Anybody have a Bible handy?” It turns out the model had one in her car, so I asked her husband to get it. Meanwhile, I draped part of the black velvet background material around her shoulders. I adjusted the lights to accent her face while letting the rest fall into shadow.

When her husband returned, I asked her to hold the Bible like she was going to church while I took a few pictures. But my primary intention was the shot between the shots. Every time I took a photo, and she looked up, I would fire off another. It took ten or twelve tries, but I finally got what I was looking for.

Snow in Georgia

We don’t get much snow in Georgia, and when we do, it’s usually a dusting. But one night, around sunset, it started snowing heavily. Big dry flakes were floating down. You could tell it was going to stick, and tomorrow would be a mess.

About an hour after dark, I got up from my chair, where I was watching TV and glanced out the front door. I saw I had been right, and snow had blanketed everything. I went back and sat down and started watching the tube again.

But I couldn’t get that scene out of my head.

I saw what it looked like and how I wanted it to look.

I tried to ignore it and concentrate on the show in front of me, but it was no use. After a while, I gave up and paused the show. I answered my wife’s quizzical look only with, “I have to go to work.”

I got my camera, tripod, and cable release and set everything up from the warmth inside the front door. I metered different parts of the scene, but I had little experience with long exposures. Finally, I framed the scene and started shooting. I took half a dozen shots at different shutter speeds. The final shot took 30 seconds.

It’s probably the image I am most proud of and show off most often.

Sometimes, you have no choice, and you just have to get the shot.

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