In photography, especially studio photography, so many factors are under the photographer’s control. Camera settings, lighting set ups, subject choice, etc. Photographing a vase of flowers or some other inanimate object in a studio setting gives the photographer full creative control. However, a portion of that control goes out the window when you set your camera lens on a live subject.
And, what happens when you encounter an unruly subject? Teens and adults can usually take direction well, but with an infant, child, pet, or wild animal, all bets are off.
But, that’s part of the fun! It makes photography less technical and more personal when some of the rigid control of a studio set up gives way to something more spontaneous.
I have cats and it’s impossible to get them to sit perfectly still and gaze into the camera lens at just the right moment for just the right amount of time. If you can train cats to do that, then I’d like to shake your hand! But even with my cats’ unruliness in front of my lens, I enjoy photographing them. When talking about pet portraiture, like snowflakes, no two images are alike.
Example, my cat Tigger. One second she was sitting pretty looking right at me, something akin to a smile on her cute little cat face, and just as I pressed the shutter button, she did this….
The moral of this story, folks, is embrace the spontaneous. It’s good. Don’t forget the technical side of things, but at the same time, don’t get stuck in the Matrix, so to speak! Let things flow. The shot you’ve set up in your mind may not be the shot you get, but you never know, you may be pleasantly surprised. Great photographs can be gained from even the most unruly subject.
Until next time…
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~A.M.
Audrey May Photography 