New Equipment, a Bucket List Trip, and Getting the Shot
It is hard to watch youtubers review a new piece of equipment and not get excited about it. However, testing a new camera with models in a controlled situation, or taking bangers in some exotic remote location, is a far cry from using it on a paying job. Implementing a new camera into your daily work flow can be challenging. When I made the switch from my DSLR to a mirrorless camera, I struggled with it. I didn’t understand the new focusing system and it felt strange in my hands. Did I really have to learn to use all this new technology? What would it offer me that I didn’t already have? If you are working full time in an industry changing as fast as photography is, you have no choice but to embrace new technology as it comes. But I loved my DSLR and I didn’t want to give it up. I finally purchased the Canon R5, but left it sitting in the camera bag for months. I knew that the only way to see my way through this massive change was to study and practice with this new piece of equipment. But it just didn’t feel right in my hands. I tried, but I won’t lie, it was hard. There were many times I wanted to throw the new camera out and stick with my trusted DSLR. But as a professional, I knew I would need to continue to work with my new camera until I got comfortable with it.
I am a portrait photographer, but I love wildlife and the challenge of capturing great images of animals in the wild. It took a trip to Alaska, where I would be ticking off a bucket list dream to photograph grizzly bears, to see this new camera shine and show me what the new technology was all about. It was the first time I had an opportunity to use it outside of a client session and I was excited to play, have some fun, and see what it could do. I hoped this trip would give me the time needed to get comfortable with this advanced piece of new equipment.
The first attempt did not go as planned. We were supposed to land our float plan on a remote beach where bears would be digging for clams and catching salmon with the beautiful mountains in the background. Weather did not cooperate and we headed to a different location, finally ending up in a small lagoon floating around with forty other boats waiting in line to get in and grab their spot. To make it more interesting, many of those waiting wanted to fish, not watch bears. So once we finally got situated, there were fishing lines being thrown all over the place. It was a mess. To make matters worse it was raining on and off and the inclement weather made for choppy water and of course that meant a moving slippery boat.
I found myself standing in the pouring down rain with a 100-500 lens on a rocking boat trying to avoid fishing lines when the first bear finally appeared. After a few minutes, the bear jumped in the water and then stood up to shake the water off. By some miracle, I had an unobstructed angle, and as it slung its head around sending water flying everywhere the focus locked on the bears eye. The camera did exactly what it was made to do and I knew the shot would be amazing. It was in that moment I realized that my much loved DSLR was toast.
New equipment is exciting but the fundamental way you use a camera to make images has not changed all that much. You need to understand how much light is hitting the sensor, just like with film and it needs to be in focus. All the hard stuff is up to you, not the camera. Composition, the way the light is illuminating the subject, and the connection you make with what you are photographing are choices you make as the artist. The camera may take the image, but you the photographer, make the image.
As I watched that bear jump in the water I was praying I would get the shot I had dreamed of for years. When it slowly stood to take a look around, I could feel what was coming next. If that bear shook her head, I wanted the water to hang suspended in mid-air. I needed that bear and the water to be tack sharp. I was hoping for a direction of light and as I stood ready to get my shot, the rain let up and I could see that a soft ray of light was illuminating the animals eye. It was just enough to give depth to the image and as that light shone through the spaying water it lit it up, adding the needed drama to make the moment special.
The image of this bear didn’t start in that boat that day in Alaska. I had dreamed of creating this kind of image long before then, and I was looking for it. I got myself on a float plane, thousands of miles from home, to a place where bears were going to be fishing. I had the equipment I needed and I knew technically what I needed to do, if all the elements came together. When they did I was prepared. As I quickly scrolled through the images a few minutes later, because you know we have to, everyone on the boat was oohing and ahhing. They all had nice cameras, and they were right there with me, but none of them got a shot anything like my image. Was it luck? Absolutely not. I knew what I wanted and I put myself in a position to get it. My camera settings were where they needed to be for the situation and years of experience was in every frame as I pressed the shutter.
While writing this story and reliving that experience, I know I will never forget it. Even without seeing the image you can imagine what it looks like. You can almost feel how I felt as I captured the image it. It was cold and wet. I was frustrated that our plans had changed and that I was having to work so hard to get an image that I flew thousands of miles to find and I was figuring out a new piece of equipment that I did not fully trust. As it all came together, the adrenaline rushed through my body. I knew I got the image before I looked at the back of the camera. It was over in a second, but I still see it in slow motion as it replays in my mind. Yeah chasing bears half way around the world is not for everybody, but if you love photography you get it. This is what we live for, that decisive moment when everything comes together and you get the perfect shot.
As an artist, you need to take control of your camera and use it to convey your artistic vision. A camera no matter how advanced, is still just a tool, and like any tool, it has limitations. While modern cameras have many advanced features that can aid in image capture, they will never replace the creativity and vision of the artist. But I have to say, I was sure glad on that cold day in Alaska I had that R5 in my hands when that bear decided to put on a show. Because I finally understood what all the fuss was about. The camera did its job and so did I. The coolest thing is that even after twenty-five years as a professional photographer, anywhere I go, a camera goes with me. I still get excited about adventures, seeing new things and making great images.
Susan is a internationally awarded, PPA certified professional photographer and holds the coveted Master of Photography degree from Professional Photographers of America. She is Past President of this organization of over 36,000 professional members. Susan has been awarded the American Society of Photographers highest honor, the ASP Fellowship. She is a member of the prestigious Society of Twenty Five.
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