Have your camera ready, always
When talking to other photographers, one of the biggest issues we all seem to face is the ability to have our camera as ready as possible to capture anything you might come across. Often cameras kept in our bags might be a little too difficult to grab on the go, and often those few seconds it might take us to reach for our camera and get it set might well mean the moment we were so eager to capture is unfortunately gone.
And when I say this, I truly believe in that as I have often found myself looking at some of my favourite shots and thinking that if I had not had my camera ready, I would have definitely missed the moment. Of course, I have learnt it the hard way, where I have often struggled with the bag zip to get my camera out our even simply taking those two seconds to turn my camera on to take the shot and realise I was one second too late. If this has happened to you, you’ll probably know how frustrating it must feel.
As an example, these photos are some of the shots I have probably got just in time.
As I was walking through Covent Garden, a light rain started coming down. And as always, rain and London is a perfect mix and it is only a matter of time before you come across something interesting. I stopped in a doorway, seeking some shelter and as I did so, I noticed two elegantly dressed ladies coming out of the tube station, only to find themselves without an umbrella. One of them quickly covered their heads with a scarf and quickly made their way towards me. I had my camera turned on and set up for street photography and, in a second, they went past me. And that’s when I quickly pressed the shutter button and took the shot. One of the ladies saw me as she stared right into the camera, but they were probably more worried about the rain.
Ladies in the rain
Likewise, as I was on a street corner near St James’s I noticed how the winter light was filtering through the surrounding buildings, creating a very sharp contrast between the pocket of light on the floor and the shaded areas on either side. As I was appreciating this interesting light, I noticed a male about 20 feet away walking towards me and, before I knew, I realised he would have waked into the light before stepping back into the shade. I had my Sony RX100 IV in my hand and all I had to do was point and take the shot. To my surprise the shot came out quite nicely, and it reminded me once more of the importance of being ready; had I had my camera in my pocket or bag, I would have certainly missed it.
Stepping into the sunlight
And finally, this shot below was equally challenging, not only because of the harsh light I had directly in front of me, but also because I happened to notice the cyclist literally as she came around the corner, a few seconds away from me. I had my Sony in my hand and with barely enough time to set the shutter speed, I pressed the button just as she cycled past. In all honesty, I did not think I had made it, but when I looked back I very pleasantly impressed by the quality of the shot, with the golden sunset light in the background and the crowd in the middle ground whilst the cyclist in the foreground created an interesting shadow on the floor. If I tried it again, I don’t know whether I’d be able to get the shot again, but what I do know is that I would have definitely missed the shot if I even had my camera in my pocket, as those three seconds it would have taken me to at least turn it on would have been a second too late.
So yes, remember to have your camera as ready as you can whenever you’re out, to capture that fleeting moment we’re all waiting for.
Cycling into the sunset