As promised....
Some of the best photo's I've ever taken were complete and total flukes. I had no idea they were in the camera until I got the photos back from the lab.
When I was 21 (I think), I went on a canoe trip in algonquin park. It was a very strenuous portage trip, and one night, we didn't make it to a campsite - we actually camped on a portage trail, right by the shore of Shippagew Lake. It rained all night, and when we woke up (at about 5:30 am, of course) it was all misty, and the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon. I looked out on the lake, and saw loons. "Oh," I thought, "loons! Gotta get a picture!" So I got out my disposable camera (sans flash) and just took a shot.
No thought behind it.
Here's how the photo turned out:
I was floored! There was no thought to the composition, lighting, nothing. Just picked up the camera and clicked the shutter. (by the way, that's Mark Taylor standing beside the canoe, for those who are interested) It looks grainy because it was 400 speed film (for the uninitiated, that's high speed film, which works best in bright light, not dim pre-dawn light) and a disposable camera with a very small lens opening. (or aperture, for the photo-inclined)
But despite the graininess, it's one of my all-time favorite photos.
The other totally amazing fluke is a photo I took down in Sanibel, when we were going through Ding Darling park, which is a wildlife preserve on the island. We came across a Snowy Egret, and a Tri-colour Heron, fishing along a stream right by the roadway. They weren't too worried about people getting close, but I also had a tele-photo lens on my Dad's old camera. Now, you have to understand: while the camera is an SLR, it's completely manual - it doesn't take batteries. You have to set the shutter speed, the aperture, and focus all by hand and eye (and hand-held light meter). It's very old. I also had low-speed film in the camera (ASA100), so it's really not well-suited to tele-photo or action shots, as it is very prone to blurring due to movement of the camera and/or subject.
So there I am, focussed in on the tri-colour heron. Just when I get all set and take the shot, the bird decides to dive for a fish - right at the instant I clicked the shutter. Darn, I thought. It's not going to have a head - it would be all blurry, since the head and neck were in very fast motion right when I took the photo. (If you've ever seen a heron shoot it's head out to catch a fish, you'll understand - they move like lightning!)
You can imagine my absolute shock when I got the photos back from the lab, and here's what was waiting for me:
I guess the shutter must have opened just at that instant when the bird's head was fully extended, and therefore still. What amazed me was that it is so clear, you can even see the splash of water around the head! I think I remember having to pick my jaw up off the floor....
The thing that made me laugh about this photo, was that when we were there in the park, there was a couple there who appeared to be very avid amateur photographers, judging by the size of the cameras and lenses. They were set up opposite the birds, with their huge telephoto lens and remote shutter trigger, and were frantically hitting the trigger everytime one of the birds dove for a fish....and to think, I got the photo they were probably trying to get, without even knowing it!!
As I said before, some people may think I have a knack for photography. But I'll repeat: most of the time, I'm just really lucky!!
Some of the best photo's I've ever taken were complete and total flukes. I had no idea they were in the camera until I got the photos back from the lab.
When I was 21 (I think), I went on a canoe trip in algonquin park. It was a very strenuous portage trip, and one night, we didn't make it to a campsite - we actually camped on a portage trail, right by the shore of Shippagew Lake. It rained all night, and when we woke up (at about 5:30 am, of course) it was all misty, and the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon. I looked out on the lake, and saw loons. "Oh," I thought, "loons! Gotta get a picture!" So I got out my disposable camera (sans flash) and just took a shot.
No thought behind it.
Here's how the photo turned out:
I was floored! There was no thought to the composition, lighting, nothing. Just picked up the camera and clicked the shutter. (by the way, that's Mark Taylor standing beside the canoe, for those who are interested) It looks grainy because it was 400 speed film (for the uninitiated, that's high speed film, which works best in bright light, not dim pre-dawn light) and a disposable camera with a very small lens opening. (or aperture, for the photo-inclined)But despite the graininess, it's one of my all-time favorite photos.
The other totally amazing fluke is a photo I took down in Sanibel, when we were going through Ding Darling park, which is a wildlife preserve on the island. We came across a Snowy Egret, and a Tri-colour Heron, fishing along a stream right by the roadway. They weren't too worried about people getting close, but I also had a tele-photo lens on my Dad's old camera. Now, you have to understand: while the camera is an SLR, it's completely manual - it doesn't take batteries. You have to set the shutter speed, the aperture, and focus all by hand and eye (and hand-held light meter). It's very old. I also had low-speed film in the camera (ASA100), so it's really not well-suited to tele-photo or action shots, as it is very prone to blurring due to movement of the camera and/or subject.
So there I am, focussed in on the tri-colour heron. Just when I get all set and take the shot, the bird decides to dive for a fish - right at the instant I clicked the shutter. Darn, I thought. It's not going to have a head - it would be all blurry, since the head and neck were in very fast motion right when I took the photo. (If you've ever seen a heron shoot it's head out to catch a fish, you'll understand - they move like lightning!)
You can imagine my absolute shock when I got the photos back from the lab, and here's what was waiting for me:
I guess the shutter must have opened just at that instant when the bird's head was fully extended, and therefore still. What amazed me was that it is so clear, you can even see the splash of water around the head! I think I remember having to pick my jaw up off the floor....The thing that made me laugh about this photo, was that when we were there in the park, there was a couple there who appeared to be very avid amateur photographers, judging by the size of the cameras and lenses. They were set up opposite the birds, with their huge telephoto lens and remote shutter trigger, and were frantically hitting the trigger everytime one of the birds dove for a fish....and to think, I got the photo they were probably trying to get, without even knowing it!!
As I said before, some people may think I have a knack for photography. But I'll repeat: most of the time, I'm just really lucky!!
WOW!!!!! You could sell those!!!
Thanks!
Would you believe, Doug won't let me hang the bird photo in the house? He says he doesn't like it, because it's "a nature photo that's not in focus"....
I think the funniest part about the algonquin photo, is that I was trying to take a picture of the loons, and they're so small, you can't even see them!