Patience

 Looking over some of my photos, giving them a good critique, one of the things I find myself guilty of is the lack of patience, the failure to wait until the “right” moment to snap a picture. While I am happy with most of my pictures, I’ve come to realize that they could have been even better if I had just waited a bit longer before pressing the shutter.

    Patience is a difficult thing to acquire I’ve found. In a typical scene, I see something that looks exciting; I get the camera, focus and snap the picture, possibly even a few times. If I had waited a bit, the sun may have changed its position, a cloud might have moved over or from the sun, changing the shadows or the amount of contrast. Sometimes waiting will result in different colors or the subject might be in a better position. Perhaps a person might walk into the scene, giving it more of a human element rather than a plain static shot.

    Using a bit of patience might involve taking a walk around the subject, looking to see if there isn’t a better angle to shoot from or to see if there are any interesting patterns that might make it a better picture, rather than my first thought.

    When using a larger format or film camera patience is very important. These cameras limit your possible exposures as compared to using a digital camera. With the 4x5 Speed Graphic, I usually only carry two holders with me, (four sheets of film)  I don’t want to waste one (or more) of these negatives. The cost of film photography is also higher than when using a digital camera, all the more reason to be patient when lining up a photograph.

    Taking the time to go over all the settings, the f stop, the shutter speed, the composition. Is the camera steady and straight?  Take a look around at the scene, these are all things worth double checking. Patience, I have to recheck all the vital details before I take the plunge and push the plunger. Is this really what I want to take a picture of? Give it a second thought…

    Stepping back and looking at everything, doing a mental checklist will help me get a better picture. Making sure everything is correct before hitting the shutter button is worth the wait, it will help avoid disappointment later on!

    Needless to say, that anticipation may cause a bit of a problem with this concept. The excitement of creating another picture, the anticipation of another "wonderful photograph" that has almost been taken, all I need to do is click the shutter! This will probably be followed by the disappointment of seeing what I rushed into.

    This habit comes in handy with both photography and astronomy; sometimes we have no choice except to be patient. The rain will eventually go away and the sky will clear up.

    Of course, it goes without saying that these practices also come in handy in regular life also! Taking our time with the things we do, no rushing through our tasks, taking pride in our jobs. Patience is also an important part of dealing with the people we meet and interact with, both friends and strangers alike. The outcome of all our endeavors, from photography, astronomy, friendships to driving on the roads will definitely turn out better if we exercise just a little bit of patience!