auto pilot

Portland, 2010

Nikon FE, 35mm, expired Kodak T-Max 100 film

Every morning as I get in the car this is what I go through

• Unlock door
• Open door
• Place right foot inside car
• Sit down in the driver seat
• Bring left foot in
• Close door
• Place key in ignition
• Turn key past 2 clicks until engine starts
• Reach over left shoulder for the seat belt
• ...

You get the point. I suspect if you drive regularly this is rather automatic. You probably put the car in Park, turn off the engine, unbuckle and remove the key in one fell swoop. Now, is it possible to become as proficient with your camera gear and techniques?

I think so, but it takes lots of practice. (And, no, I'm not there yet :)

I played the violin when I was younger.  People were often amazed because there are no frets on the violin like there are on a guitar. "How do you know where to put your finger?" Lots of practice, until the fingers remember where to go.

Gear and technique are important, but they're mere tools. It's important to be so proficient that they don't get in the way of your visual expression. My friend Paul, long-time-journalist-turned-wedding-photographer, said after years of experience, he could look at a scene and knew what lens to reach for, and exactly where to stand to capture it.

How do we go about getting familiar? Get to know your camera. Know where frequently used buttons and dials are. Know which direction to turn to increase exposure (Canon people, turn to the right to open up aperture; Nikon: to the left). Know how to switch exposure modes without looking at the dial. Do this with your eyes closed. Find out what the numbers and symbols mean in the viewfinder. Go shoot with one lens until you are very familiar with it. Pick a focal length, and see if you can predict how wide it will cover before you look through the viewfinder.

These modern cameras are quite complex. All the buttons and features and stuff. My D700 two auto-focus modes, three auto-focus area modes, and 51 auto-focus points. That's over 300 combinations right there! On my first Nikon all I had to set was aperture and shutter speed, and focus was manual. I suppose you can say there were infinitely many focus spots?!

Do you make exposure decisions before you put the camera to your eye? "I should shoot this scene at f/5.6 and at least 1/125 sec." Last year I went on a photo walk with my friend Shannon, shooting expired black-n-white film with my manual Nikon FE. This was an exercise to give the "digtalness" a break, and to rediscover certain shot discipline that has largely been forgotten in this digital age. I was hoping to get a shot of wet pavement in the city because it's just very Portland. As we walked a MAX train appeared beyond the horizon.  I got the camera ready and pressed the shutter button. Nothing happened. Turned out I forgot to advance the film after the previous shot! Doh!! The train was getting closer, so I quickly flipped the lever, focused the lens and clicked. I don't remember exactly when I pressed the shutter release. It was more than 2 weeks before I saw the prints. One shot was all I got and it turned out to be one of my favorites of the year. What I love about this shot is contrast, not in the usual sense of the word, but rather a conceptual one. The very modern light rail running through the Old Town section, with classic building in a cobble stone street. "I did this? Sweet!" When happy accidents happen, you'd better be prepared.

Note: some of these ideas I got from David duChemin, my virtual mentor. I'll have more on him in an upcoming blog post.