F/8 and Be There
by: Bryan Lindsey
BCL Photography – Houston Wedding Photographer
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Photojournalists have an expression, “f/8 and be there,” meaning that getting the shot is more important than dialing in the absolute correct exposure.
This is great to keep in mind for photographers who are shooting outside of a studio. Lighting conditions change, and we are constantly checking and re-checking our cameras, looking at test shots, and waiting for great moments to materialize so that we can capture them in the best way possible. But throughout all of this mental processing, we MUST be keeping our eye out for great shots. A perfect example of this my most recent engagement shoot – I was doing my best to keep things loose while still structuring the posing, composition and lighting that I wanted. The couple’s smiles were ok, but you could tell they were forced. At one point the guy said something to the girl, and she broke into a beautiful, natural smile. I was in the middle of something else, but I immediately turned and snapped few of just her, and those images are going to come out great.
So when you see that golden smile, when a romantic couple leans in for a kiss, when people are at their best, capture the moment – don’t worry about it being perfect. Chances are that the photo will be cherished and any technical imperfections will never even be noticed. F/8 and Be There.
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Bryan LindseyBCL Photography
Houston Wedding and Portrait Photographer
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I’ve read that this quote “f/8 and be there” is attributed to Ansel Adams, which was allegedly his response to the question, “How do you take such great photographs?” I don’t know if it’s true or not, but it makes a great story! Thanks for a great, succinct, yet important post! I’m starting to learn that sometimes, the shots I worked so hard to create are NOT the ones that the client likes best, and the slightly flawed ones, that I only reluctantly show them are. Sometimes we take ourselves a little too seriously, maybe?