The pro photographer, camera poised on steady tripod, overlooking the expanse and confidently getting that perfect shot.
Yup.
For non-photographers, this idealized scenario is reality.
Photographers know that is not how it works. It’s not how any of this works.
Let’s reveal the truth, shall we:
Any photoshoot takes extensive planning. Timing, weather, light, angle, site inspection – often over multiple seasons. Bug repellant, sunscreen, rain gear, good shoes, strong tri pod, light analysis, heavenly body analysis, angle of light, white balance, light readings… And even after all of that…it rains. Or you shoot for an hour and realize you have the wrong lens. Or your depth of field is off.
When I first started shooting, I would be so dejected after capturing 200 images and liking only one. Then, I started talking to pro photographers.
“That’s normal,” a thirty-year, world renowned pro told me. “Try to set up and plan better. Then you only need to review 50 images for that one good one.”
That’s right. One good one. One.
Because that’s the reality.
The photo with this post was a complete accident. I visited three locations that day and was attempting to get that one, great image. At Holmdel Park’s Longstreet Farm, I was waiting behind a throng of children to get into one of the buildings. I turned. And there it was. The moment. This is one of my best-selling fine art pieces – and I even have it on my own dining room wall.
One good one.
