You know, there’s a reason that those old fables like “The Tortoise and the Hare” still find their way into our lives, almost 2,500 years after they were first told. These fables are life lessons that, whether we realize it or not, apply to things we do every day.
In this case, “The Tortoise and the Hare”?comes up for more than one reason, one of which is obvious, but the others, not so much.
I was talking with my buddy Lance this morning about this blog and the photos I was processing for it. Originally, I wanted to talk about how important it is to understand your equipment and when to use it. I couldn’t find the right angle though. I was having trouble getting it all to click. I was pushing and honestly, rushing it a bit. Talking to Lance forced me to slow down a bit, since we were chatting and I was putting thoughts down in writing. Ahhhh…see that? “The Tortoise and the Hare”?- slow down, think things out. To give credit where credit is due, Lance was the one who brought up “The Tortoise and the Hare”. And as soon as he did, I knew I was heading in the wrong direction.
I was able to see immediately that “The Tortoise and the Hare”?also applied while I was taking the photos featured in this post. At first, I found myself rushing. It was absolutely pouring and I didn’t have my rain gear, I’d been told by a neighbor that animal control was coming to relocate the turtle, there was a pole right in the middle of my shot, I could go on and on, but the bottom line is this: I was rushing it…and not getting the shots that I wanted.
Tortoise and the Hare – How it Applies to Photography
Finally, I stopped and went to the house to regroup and grab my rain gear. I took those few minutes to slow down, hit the rest button and form a plan.
Rather than bring out the bulky rain gear, I moved my SUV into a position where I could shoot from the angle I wanted, while being covered by the raised tailgate. This also provided a nice buffer from the rain, so that I could change lenses as needed. And that’s when the real fun started.
Since I now had the cover, I was able to take a little more time between shots and make some choices in which lens to use. I started with my default – the Sigma?17-70mm, then switched over to my Canon EF 85mm. In the end, I took out the lens in my bag that I use the least: the Canon 75-300mm. This is a lens that over the years I have found to be very frustrating. It never seems to create a sharp image, no matter what I’ve tried. But after my experience using it on the Long Exposure walk with Scott and Gevon, I decided to give it another shot.
I set the lens to manual focus and took my time lining things up. Even with the rain coming down, I kept in mind that I was dealing with a turtle. I didn’t need to rush my shots. The pole that was giving me fits required a tight focus, so I made the choice for a shallower depth of field to really focus on the face. Even though I could shoot with the pole in my field of view, it’s very presence gave me a tough time focusing on my subject. It was such a strong line that it dominated my vision, making it hard to get the rest of the shot sharp.?
I was about 10 feet back from the turtle, staying under my tailgate, shooting within a range of 150-300mm at f/4.8-5.7. Once I slowed down and refocused both the camera and myself, I got the shots I was after.
Sometimes, you need to shoot fast. But that doesn’t mean you need to rush! Working with speed is not the same thing as rushing. Knowing your equipment and how to use it will help – it allows you to move fast, but not make a mistake. When you really know your gear, muscle memory helps you get things right, so use your camera as often as you can. The more you practice, the better your shots will get and it will become more natural and fluid for you to change settings, lenses, whatever, to get the shot you’re after.
So be deliberate in your approach. Remember?“The Tortoise and the Hare”?- the hare rushed, the tortoise just kept moving. Be like the tortoise. Keep moving, be determined, don’t rush.
And that, my friends, is how a 2,500 year old fable from that wonderful storyteller Aesop continues to influence so many aspects of our lives today. Even in the world of photography.
Gear list:
Canon EOS T4i
Sigma?17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC IF Macro?lens
Canon 75-300mm lens
Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Medium Telephoto?lens
