Click Less Yet Get More

Do you believe that the more times you snap your shutter, the more opportunity you will have a good photo? I used to think so but as of late my opinion has differ. The more you go out and photograph, it raises your odds of getting a photo, true to some extend I guess.

Clear Your Mind

I believe in going out, photographing the streets without any pressure, with a clear state of mind. You can go out 7 days a week for two to three hours each day but if you’re mind is cluttered and worried about “stuff” then you cannot focus and therefore your imagination is clouded. For me at least, my best approach is to go out with a clear and empty mind with no expectations and to let my instincts take over. Once I start thinking, looking at my phone, thinking of what chores I need to do, what the kids are going to eat for dinner, then I’m really just wasting my time roaming the streets. I’m not in-tuned with being in the moment and therefore I end up being less observant of my surroundings and in the end may miss a photographic moment.

By fully soaking in the moment of being on my photo-walk, I am present of the current time and location, and can fully give my all in photographing the streets. Therefore, make every shutter click matter and count. Instead of shooting rapid fire and hoping one stands out. I also feel by clicking the shutter less will in the end make you a better photographer because you are using your primary tool…your eyes first, to see, and then react and snap away. Instead of snapping away and then chimping at your LCD screen or viewfinder and seeing what you got. I feel this does come with time and experience. But my advice, clear your mind and let your imagination run wild.

Don’t be a lazy photographer

Don’t be a lazy photographer by taking a thousand plus photos within an hour of your lunch break and relying on your blessings to the photo God’s to give you at least one good one…make every shutter you click count…I will add though, sometimes you don’t know if you have a good photo or not until you upload onto your computer and begin the editing process. For me, more often than not, I will know or better yet feel, that I got something special at the time I took the photo. How do you know if you got a good photo or not? Simple, it’s based on feeling, something that immediately strikes you in the gut….kind of like you meet a girl, you talk to her, and something inside you knows she’s the one. You guys make a connection. That’s a bad analogy but you get my point. Sometimes you feel it without knowing why and that’s okay.

Conclusion

I used to bring my camera everywhere with me but lately I’ve kept it at home. Because if my mind or mood is not in the photographic mindset then I’m wasting energy. If I do happen to come across a “A-HA_ moment, I have my Samsung S8 which takes great photos by the way…if I miss it, then so be it, I won’t lose sleep, in fact I’ll be appreciative of seeing the moment.