Experiment and fail!

This week I sat down with a blank sheet of paper and I wrote some photographic goals. 

Why?

Well the last 2 years on my wildlife photographic journey, I have accomplished a lot, I have come a long way, I have really progressed as a photographer. But I have not always focused on achieving some of the things I would like to do. By writing these things down, I can focus on achieving them and monitor my progress....It also allows me to ask myself if I am being realistic in my expectations? It is very important to keep your feet on the ground. 

If the last two years were about solid craft with my camera and getting good wildlife shots, the end of 2014 started seeing me start experimenting. I say "start" as I didn't do much of it. But already the fact that I tried is an indication of the direction to head and the shape of things to come. 

Being based in N.Europe, when you travel to Africa you want bankable shots. You want to make every drive count, every sighting count to get the best shot you possibly can. There is a voice in your mind which says "don't fail, don't offload your card into Lightroom and see shots you've messed up". Bottom line is, you will mess up, everyone does. You'll mess up on the basics and you'll learn from it and get better next time. But you shouldn't beat yourself up about it. The issue is if you approach every sighting like this, you will never experiment, you will never push the limits and boundaries, and you will never get the chance to try something different that you might just pull off and become proficient it. You risk to stay in your comfort zone!

At the end of last year I had two things in mind, where I wanted to experiment and progress for 2015. This is one of my "goals" for 2015 in terms of craft with my camera. The first is called "intentional camera movement" (ICE). This can be a pan or a zoom as you engage your shutter to create some sense of movement or emotion in the shot. The second is slow shutter speed photography, this is different, where the camera may be static, and the slow shutter speed may create an effect of movement or emotion. 

I first discovered slow shutter speed effects in Madikwe in 2014 with a shot of a jackal who was fleeing from a dead elephant he had been feeding on. The early morning low light meant I was already at a slow shutter speed of 1/80 and this was just enough to get this image:

It's not a perfect image. I shot it hand held. The static image components of the elephant are not pin sharp. But the jackal itself is quiet effective and as a very first attempt, I would say "well done me"....you have to some times give yourself credit where its due and keep your confidence up!

Whilst in Ngala last year we had a couple of bleak spots on a couple of the drives. This happens. So at a couple of general game sightings I started playing. I make no apologies that the following photos are awful. But that's not the point. I got my "bankable" shots first and then looked at a zoom out shot. I started with Zebra's. The Zebra's were starting to walk away and we were now quiet some distance from them. But again, I wasn't looking for a useable shot. I wanted to understand how the technique worked. So here is what I did:

• Stopped to f9.0 to have most of the scene in focus.
• Dialled in to a 1/80 shutter speed.
• Set the iso based on my metering. 
• Zoomed to the maximum focal length and composed.

As I pushed the shutter button I quickly rotated the lens to go from maximum focal length to minimum focal length as the shutter was released. 

Close, but no cigar...

I did the same at an Impala sighting. Again, poor positioning of Impala and a bad composition....that's not the point. 

So what did I learn?

• The shutter needs to be a little slower, maybe down to 1/50th or 1/60th.
• I need to practice more! Rotating from 200mm to 70mm to get the effect isn't easy. It comes down to honing your craft again.
• Failing is fun. Yes, I failed!!! And I am totally ok about it. It has given me the confidence to try again, and having failed once, I understand better what to do next time. How many wildlife photographers do you see publishing their failures? Not many right!? But I believe that failure is part of the creative process and growing and I am all for sharing.

Now, here is what I am looking to accomplish:

Ethics statement - this was not done in camera, but in post processing with Lightroom and the Nik Collection plugins. 

Having edited a photo of an elephant using this effect in post processing, I have a very clear vision in my mind of how to accomplish this the next time I am out in the field. This is the power of taking time during the post process to study your work. What worked and what didn't and understand what you need to do next time you are out in the field. 

Finally - here is one of the "bankable" shots I got from the Zebras, a black and white conversion....proof that not all was lost in terms of portfolio additions!

In summary, 2015 for me will be(e):

B - get your Bankable shots

E - Experiement and don't be afraid to fail. I'll push myself outside my comfort zone.

E - Enjoy....enjoy the sighting, enjoy the experience and never forget that every day I have my feet in Africa is a privilege. 

Have a good one!

Cheers Jon