Photographers are often lauded for finding that perfect moment in time when the scene is right, the lighting is perfect, and the shooter’s position is ideal for a great shot. Many times these serendipitous circumstances happen on shoots, but sometimes these opportunities can present themselves in ordinary, everyday circumstances with regular people.
Over Labor Day weekend in 2009, I joined some friends for a motorcycle trip to Davenport, Iowa, for the annual Antique Motorcycle Flattrack Racing event. I always pack my camera. The trip to Davenport was on motorcycle with my camera bag stored in a top box. Part of the fun is stopping at roadside cafés to eat. We paid $5.00 to ferry our motorcycles across the Mississippi River, which was a pretty amazing experience in itself.
One of the largest gatherings of the event at the Mississippi Davenport Fairgrounds is the swap meet, where attendees can buy, sell and trade auto parts and gear. There are always some colorful characters in attendance, and I love just walking around and talking to people, taking as much of the experience in as I can. I look for interesting imagery.
While on my stroll, I came across this old, antique bus that looked straight out of the 1950s, complete with streamlined stainless steel panels and sliding horizontal windows. An older gentleman with sunglasses and a long white beard was peering out of the window, which showed this really amazing reflection of the tree above the bus and the afternoon sky. I knew right away that it would be a cool shot to take.
I hopped on the bus, and approached the man to see if I could take his picture from outside the bus. I explained that I was a professional photographer and outlined why I thought he made a good subject. After a few minutes of chatting, he agreed to pose for the picture.
Excited, I jumped off the bus, quickly positioned myself and started shooting. I loved the reflections in the windows; the colors occurred naturally without post work color corrections. My adrenalin flows when the image is looking right.
This series of events highlights just how mentally agile a professional photographer must be at all times to try to find interesting shots. If I didn’t have my camera that day, or if I wasn’t prepared to look for unique images or points in time, I would have missed my opportunity. Great professional photographers always have to be on the lookout for great pictures.
But getting great pictures is more than just having a good eye; photographers must also have the gear they need to get these shots at less than a moment’s notice. I use Lexar Professional 16GB and 8GB CompactFlash memory cards because I don’t want to ever worry about changing my memory cards in the middle of shooting. Especially for trips like this, I try to pack light, and large capacity cards cut down on the amount of gear I have to carry. I lecture to photographers that memory cards and hard drives are not to be purchased on price. They are two of the most important elements for my valuable photographs: capture and storage. I have heard professionals brag that they found a large hard drive online and bought it for $99.00. I cringe at the thought because the risk they are taking is great.
The ideal combination of a well-trained eye for finding interesting images, an open mind always looking for shooting opportunities and the right photographic gear will help photographers capture great memories and moments in time.
