I’m often asked, ‘What single piece of advice would you give to a budding wildlife photographer?’ and, for me, the answer is very simple: ‘Put your camera in a black bag!’
Woa! Hang on a cotton pickin’ minute. Let me explain…and stay with it…all will become clear.
Creating good wildlife images is not luck. And it’s not about having the latest gear (remember the old saying, ‘All the gear and no idea’ ), It’s about understanding your gear and knowing how it works and what it can do and what it can’t do. Even more importantly is learning how to efficiently operate your camera.
We live in a digital photographic world where cameras seem able to do everything at the touch of a button: stuffed full of AI and Deep Learning software, the photographer seems surplus to requirements – relegated to just a button pusher. You just find your subject and point and shoot. Well not really! But if that’s your game then go buy a disposable camera from your local pharmacy and you’re set to go. However, if you’re serious about creating good images then read on….otherwise go back to your piña colada, kick-back and let the big wheel keep on turning.
Although I’ve touched on this in earlier posts, it’s worth repeating: Your camera almost certainly came with a manual when you bought it and, of course, you diligently read it cover to cover and applied what you learned to the practical operation of the camera, right? You sure about that? Manuals are written for a reason. Think about that for just one moment. They inform: how to operate your camera. But there’s a problem here. Too much information! Often hundreds of pages packed with technical stuff and jargon that can feel overwhelming. Upshot of all this is, manual goes back in the box, switch to auto, get out there and push the shutter button to your hearts content.
This is all well and good in the early days of your photographic journey but I guarantee that there will come a point, if you’re serious, when you will need to dig out the manual and learn something to solve a problem. Which, with a bit of effort, you will. This is where your journey really starts: you’re ready to dive down the rabbit hole. However, you’ll likely get to a point where you will sometimes have to refer to the manual. Even, perhaps taking it out on you photo trips. Don’t knock it! All learning is good. Spoiler alert…
Your image creation will often fail if you keep having to refer to your manual
Here’s a very simple explanation: let’s say you want to photograph a bird (for whatever reason). The bird is sitting on a branch in good light and you believe that your composition is good. Camera settings are right for the conditions but just as you are about to depress the shutter button a cloud floats carelessly across the sun. You need to adjust your camera settings to cope with the new light. You take your camera away from your eye and change a few settings, lift it back to your eye and you are a bit peeved (or something like that!) that the bird has flown away! ‘Oh! Deary me!’ you say…or something like that!😉. What or who’s to blame? For sure it’s not the bird. For sure it’s not your gear. For sure it’s you. Yup! It’s your fault. Just accept it. And realise that you can do something about it and prevent it ever happening again by simply using the black bag method.
At home, put your camera in a black bag (or pillow case). Put your hands in the bag, grab the camera and just play with the camera dials and buttons with the intention of getting to know what to do to achieve the settings that you want. For example: First switch the camera to manual mode. Dial in f8, 1/800 sec and ISO 200. Then put it (and your hands) in the bag and try to change the settings to different shutter speeds, apertures and ISO’s. All without looking. Set yourself a challenge: change to specific settings. You won’t get it right straight away but, with persistence, you’ll begin to get it right more times than you get it wrong. And the great advantage of this exercise is that you can watch TV at the same time! You can multi-task😱📷📺 It will become second nature. It’s muscle memory. Camera ergonomics are designed for that purpose.
So what’s the point?
Next time you want to photograph that bird (or whatever), and the light changes, you can quickly change your camera settings whilst still looking through the viewfinder… and Boom! You get the shot. Simples. No more taking the camera away from your eye and spinning the dials – don’t waste time playing photo roulette!
Cameras don’t take pictures…you do.
NB. It doesn’t have to be a black bag.😉
Meter The Light 