Predictability
Are you following me? What do you want?
In photography there are things you try to predict, things you cannot predict and always try to be ready for the unexpected. The whole idea of trying to predict something and whether I get it right or not is something that I enjoy with photography. I also try to be ready to the unexpected, because it can be better than what I planned for.
This excitement of unpredictability comes with photographing wildlife. When photographing wildlife, I first figure out what animal I will be photographing. This includes learning about its habits (nocturnal, eating, sleeping, mating, etc.), activity patterns, and location. When studying a certain location: I look at terrain, paths, certain areas the animal is often and when the last sightings are.
Once I get this information, I will take my camera with to scout several areas out. To see if I can pick up on any patterns the I learned about and maybe something that I didn’t learn about. Since I have the camera with it, I can photograph the animals if I come across them or anything else. After this initial scouting, I make notes and then I can go out when I want and photograph the animal when I want with some success. However, wildlife is unpredictable so sometimes it doesn’t go the way I am anticipating. In those times, I keep myself open to photographing something else.
Sometimes, I am expecting the animal to do a certain thing. Then, it does something unexpected. Like this bull elk, I was following it through the woods for a little while and suddenly, he stops and turns his head to look back in my direction. I love this photograph, not because I was able to get this great photograph, because the look he gives gets one to wonder what he is thinking. Wonder why stopped to look back. Ask where is he going?
The enjoyment of photographing wildlife come with the excitement of the unpredictability. Are you one who likes unpredictability or have things work like clockwork? What do you do when things do go as planned?
