Shutter Sisters

chasing chance

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My favorite photography subjects are my two young boys and birds, all types, as long as they flit and scurry and FLY (sorry ostriches). Capturing either can be both breath-holding and heart-thumping because these subjects do not stay still for long. And I don’t want them to. I don’t want to capture their stillness; I want to capture the fitful, unpredictable beauty of their wildness. I want to capture them taking off.

I am not a peaceful person by nature. And therefore, I don’t feel it is my calling to shoot photos of the calm and soothing landscapes of this life. A pretty still life here and there, sure. Who can resist? But what I have found in taking photos over the past few years is that I love to chase chance with my camera. I love not knowing what’s going to happen next. I love the challenge of waiting for the moment, and I love waiting to see what arbitrary magic the shots will reveal. My favorite photos have come from such moments.

As for finding some peace, well, for me, the peace is actually what comes as I gaze upon the outcome, a colorful moment frozen before my eyes. I find my peace (and my thrill) in the capturing, as I see them, of the random and wild little miracles in my life. Then I can continue to live the unstill life I am quite possibly destined to live, but I can also find some serenity in what unfolds. The way I see it, to steal a few potent words from Wendell Berry’s poem “The Broken Ground”: “What is left is what is.” Well hello, peace.

As with most artful motives, there is a dilemma at the core of this methodology: do you snap quickly (and wildly) without regard to mechanics of photography in hopes that you’ll capture the magic. Is this just downright lazy and amateur? Or do you pick up your camera gently, think wisely, swirl the dial to the appropriate numerology, take aim, check focus, hold your breath, and hope that in doing everything right, the magic will reveal itself—that’s if the subject’s still around to capture after all that? I have to say I don’t have an answer here. I’ve had luck with both. But luck is exactly what it is for me. So, at what point, do you decide to prop up the luck with practice, knowledge, and applied expertise? Or do you? Maybe you just keep following the magic.

I’d love to see how you’ve captured “wildness”—may it be in nature or your everyday life. Do tell us is if your capture was luck, finely tuned technique, or a combination of the two.

Photo and words shared by Honorary Shutter Sister Sheri Reed of happinest  and today is pretty .

 

Comments

  1. We visited the local zoo here in Prague. The zoo here is set up much different then any I’ve been to in the states. It was feeding time, and we were lucky enough to be there. I was also shooting through glass, so it was luck that we were there on time, luck that the photo turned out with no reflection, and luck the animal posed this way… but I was trying to get something! So I guess mine is a combination photo…

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/britspit/2566836087/in/set-72157605533761500/

  3. i do a little of both, careful and chasing the photo. i have a very very cooperative grandson who when i ask him if he wants to take pictures with bubby is more than enthusiastic. i tell him one day he will be famous and the paparazzi will mean nothing to him because they couldn’t be worse than me.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/margela/

  8. Captured this during the wild weather we had here on Sunday. From severe thunderstorm warnings, tornado warnings and golf ball sized hail it was an intense day.
    http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3296/2750825953_b267b58da2_o.jpg
    The next one is of my Great-Neice, our princess who loves pink and everything girly. She’d been doing a bunch of modeling poses when suddenly she pulled a rocker pose that had us all dying from laughter.
    http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2010/2528965720_e06dbb6f31_b.jpg

  9. I like to take my time, generally I am approaching a potential photo with great thought and purpose………and I am very mindful about the technical aspects of what I am shooting. Some moments, can not be easily recreated or revisited once we’ve been or seen, and I like to make sure that I’m going to get the best shot that I can at that moment.

    For instance:
    My most recent trip to California was a big one for me, Hearst Castle was a stop on our itinerary…..being in NC, it is not a place I will be able to go back to anytime soon.

    http://wayfaring-wanderer.blogspot.com/2008/08/hearst-castle.html

  13. Sheri I love this post! Beautifully written, and about so much more than photography. Meaning of life! I love the way you describe capturing the unstillness as proof of beauty in your life – which then allows you not to feel bad about the unstillness, but to feel joy: it is what it is – it is you.

    The hair at this point is over the top! Love it!

  16. The magic is knowing,
    with your skill level,
    how many snaps
    it will take
    to get that one ‘lucky’ shot.

  22. I captured this photo of my older daughter racing past our piano two Halloweens ago when she was just 15 months old. She was a constant blur of motion, and still is – the difference is, now I have to run to keep up with her. As for luck vs. skill? I’d have to say it was a little of both. It was inside at night with no flash, so my shutter speed was slow. I panned the camera purposefully, but there was definitely some luck involved as well.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/sh_photography/2756780185/

  25. The magic is in the moment. Most of my favorite images were total accidents. When I do try to plan, I am usually dissapointed. When I just take it as it comes, I am thrilled by the unexpected treasures captured.

  32. This Summer, I’ve had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with some special kids – mine, my nieces and nephews, and my boyfriend’s son. I’ve taken a lot of pictures. I caught my nephew in a little series before he realized that I was pointing the camera at him. He was busy trying to get the attention of the big kids – his sister and cousin. I caught him, his adorable expressions, and my niece who is constantly pulling her pants up.
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/26029966@N02/2758927304/
    and
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/26029966@N02/2758927800/in/photostream/

  38. These photos are a combo of the wonder of digital (I took about 50 continuos shots of each of them that day) and knowing enough about my camera’s functions to wind up with the good shots!

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/naturemama/2631992875/in/set-72157605948350432/

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/naturemama/2631992903/in/set-72157605938827422/

    Also, one of my favorites from a recent day spent with family.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/naturemama/2631992903/in/set-72157605938827422/