Sure, there have been plenty of photographs that I “missed.” Missed the focus, missed the moment, forgot to put film in the camera, shutter speed too slow or I just failed to get out of bed in the morning. There is a cure for all of these.
Practice your camera technique, learn how to focus; now days that may mean understanding the complex focus modes of your camera. That when it works, it works really well, and when it fails, well let’s just say you missed. Same thing with shutter speeds, know what is appropriate. Longer lenses require faster shutter speeds (and maybe extra support). Small birds in flight typically need a faster shutter speed than larger birds. Why isn’t your tripod with you? I keep mine in my truck. In fact I keep two of them there.
And then there is getting out of bed in the morning.
I heard recently that if your shadow is shorter than you are, you have missed the best light of the day. That is the one nice thing about photographing in winter, you can sleep a bit later. But knowing where and when to be somewhere, a bit of prior planning, goes a long way to improving your images.
I continue to work on my technique and it has gotten better. Higher pixel digital cameras seemed to magnify some bad habits so I continue to improve with age. That cannot be said for all things, though I am probably a better skier than I have ever been. Just not as athletic.
For me, there is one memorable picture that got away. I will always regret not having a camera with me, not even an iPhone.
I had spent the day doing LeafDesk related training for the Associated Press at the daily newspaper in Gallup, New Mexico. This would have been around 1992 or thereabouts. I had departed the newspaper in the evening and was driving east back to Albuquerque on Interstate 40. It was early evening, the sun had not set yet and was in my mirrors. I remember the scene as if it were yesterday. Maybe it is better I did not have a camera. I am not sure I could have captured the scene around me.
Behind, the most amazing sky with clouds brilliant in their sunset colors. Reds, yellows, orange, even shades of violet. It was the type of sunset you imaging in New Mexico. The sun was just dropping below the horizon lighting up the bottoms of the cloud cover that extended from as far as I could see behind me in my rearview mirror to just directly overhead, where the bank of clouds suddenly ended. In front of me, a cloudless sky, dark and full of stars. I could not believe that I could see the stars so clearly and at the same time have the brilliant New Mexican sunset painting the clouds and landscape around me. I stopped the car on the side of the highway to take it all in. I probably sat there for 30 minutes waiting for the sky to darken behind me.
It was spiritual.
I have never wanted a camera so bad in my life, and at the same time, I wondered that even if I had one, would I be able to capture the feelings I saw.
I cannot complain, the scene is forever painted in my memory. I am not sure my words were adequate to describe what I saw and what I felt in that moment, but I am glad I so clearly remember that evening.
Thanks for stopping by.