Back when I used to shoot with a film SLR, I often agonized over shots before I actually took them because a) film wasn't cheap; b) decent processing/printing wasn't cheap; and c) I had no idea if my settings were capturing the shots the way I wanted to or if I was wasting my entire roll of film.  I still have deep respect for the film format, but I have to admit that I'm glad to be living in the digital age when it comes to photography.  

Since I usually carry around enough memory to shoot as many photos as I could possibly want (and then some), I like to practice what I call Just Shoot It.  Basically, that's when I devote a period of time (say, 5 minutes or so) to pressing the shutter without thinking too much about the framing, the subject, exposure, etc.  I'll walk around and go *click* *click* *click* *click* in rapid sucession, sometimes without even looking through the viewfinder.  There's no pressure to get that perfect shot during these few minutes.  There's no worrying about missing a Kodak moment.  It's actually quite freeing, especially if you are in the middle of a somewhat stressful shoot like at a wedding.  

Some folks may feel like that's just a waste of memory.  Others may feel like it's faux-art if you don't put enough thought into it or scrunch your forehead just so while you're shooting the photo.  Years ago, I probably would've agreed.   Now, however, I know that there is a particular brand of joy derived from finding a gem of a photo in post-processing that you didn't even know you had taken.   In fact, I now get excited about going over my Just Shoot It photos because I never know what I'll find. 

The photo above is an example of what I'm talking about.  It was taken during several minutes of freestyle shooting at my husband's cousin's wedding.  I fell in love with it the moment I saw it during post-processing, and I knew that I could've never taken that shot if I had been thinking too much about it. 

Do you have a favorite photo that you took without too much thinking or didn't even know you had taken?  Please share with us!

P.S.  If I could set this post to music, it would be to  Click Click Click Click by Bishop Allen.