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Life changing at the speed of a shutter click

Watching the Winter Olympics I was constantly amazed by how small the difference was between the top athletes. Less than three seconds separated the top three in the men's Olympic 30-km Cross Country skiing where Marcus Hellner of Sweden finished first, with a time of 1:15:11.4; Tobias Angerer from Germany placed second, at 2.1 seconds behind, and Swede Johan Olsson took the bronze, just 2.8 seconds after the winner. That’s over a 30km race lasting one and quarter hours! In most of the Olympic sports only 1/100’s of a second separated the winning contestants.

Take a typical shutter speed of 1/60 second. It could mean the difference between winning or losing a race in the Olympics, or the difference between getting a great shot and an average one. If you think about it most photography is about picking that perfect moment, when light, subject and all elements fall perfectly into place.

It takes a lot of work (and a bit of luck) to either make those moments happen or allow them to happen in front of your lens. The harder you work the luckier you get. Just like an athlete you have to train, practice, know the fundamentals inside out and develop your technique. Pay attention to every detail as it unfolds in fractions of a second. With preparation, effort and perseverance, when you get a chance to grab that gold medal of a shot you will capture the perfect frame and life could change at the speed of a shutter click. You could produce that iconic image that helps define you as a photographer - the image everyone thinks of when they hear your name.

Till soon,
Paul
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Mark said…
I sometimes think luck plays a bigger part than I would like. It definitely takes time and practice to recognise that special moment.
23:08
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